


The Marigold Rises with the Sun

by YuuTama



Series: Flowers [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Childhood Friends, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Friendship/Love, Girls Volleyball Club, Mention of Ukai/OC, Minor Angst, Minor canon divergence, Nervous Azumane Asahi, Original Character-centric, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Serious Azumane Asahi, Slice of Life, Strong Female Characters, Volleyball Dorks in Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-05-29
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:48:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 25,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23702590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/YuuTama/pseuds/YuuTama
Summary: Azumane Asahi knew full well about his childhood friend's nickname, Karin the Demon. But to him, she's still a delicate flower. Yet another story of weak Asahi with a strong female lead, but you know what they say, opposites attract!Updates every Tuesday and Friday!
Relationships: Azumane Asahi/Original Female Character(s), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Series: Flowers [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1774855
Comments: 12
Kudos: 66





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my first ever Haikyuu fanfic! I'm currently two seasons into the anime, so I hope I do the characters justice. Story starts during Asahi's second year in high school.

Azumane Asahi had always known that his childhood friend was not to be messed with. 

In kindergarten, instead of playing with dolls and doodling with the other girls, she’d read action manga by herself in the corner of the classroom. In elementary school, she’d play dodgeball with the boys and hit them with the ball so hard that they’d cry. When they got to middle school, Azumane saw her less and less since he joined the boys volleyball club. He did hear, however, about the numerous fights she’d get into. Not just verbal fights, they were physical fights. And she’d win these fights, too. 

When they started going to high school, he heard that she’d joined the calligraphy club so she'd have an after school activity. But that didn’t stop getting her out of trouble.

Azumane usually took these hearsay half-heartedly, until one day in their second year of high school. On that day, he fully understood why the other kids from school gave his friend that formidable nickname:

Karin the Demon. 

It was a chilly day in February. A new school year had begun not too long ago, but for students who were in sports clubs, practices were already in full throttle. Classes had finished for the day and Azumane was in the gym practicing volleyball with the other club members. He vaguely remembered seeing the girls from the calligraphy club in activity when he passed by their club room. Then, sometime during volleyball practice, he saw, from the open gym door, Karin and her friend—what’s her name again?—leaving school.

After about thirty minutes, volleyball practice was just wrapping up. It would have just been any other day, if it weren’t for Karin’s friend bombarding into the gym with tearful eyes. 

“Azumane-kun!!” the girl shouted towards the gym while running with panicked steps.

A few of the other club members looked over at her curiously along with Azumane.

“Fujii-san?” said Sugawara, Azumane’s teammate, classmate, and friend. Ah, Fujii, that’s her name. 

The girl named Fujii did not respond to Sugawara; she had come straight for Azumane. The worry in her eyes alarmed him.

“Azumane-kun, please come quick!” Fujii sputtered. “Karin-chan is in trouble!”

Before he could think, he was running alongside Fujii. He’d have to apologize to the other team members tomorrow for not helping with the gym cleanup. While running with Fujii, she filled him in about what happened.

A couple of sleazy-looking guys approached them and were being very pushy about taking them to dinner even after they said no. Before they realized it, the sleazy guys were backing them into a dark alley. Fujii was extremely nervous at that point, but Karin was calm. Karin told Fujii to make a run for it while she took care of the guys. Fujii resisted, but Karin reasoned that Fujii was a fast runner and could get help quicker. Reluctantly, Fujii listened to Karin. And somehow, the first person she could think of to ask for help was not the police, but Karin’s tall and scary childhood friend, Azumane Asahi.

The sun was beginning to set then, and Azumane was getting worried. Despite what other students called her, Azumane saw Karin as a small and slim girl. Sure, he was a big guy for his age, but that’s not the point. 

When they finally got to the dark alley where Karin was supposed to be trapped, Azumane’s heart nearly jumped out of his rib cage from a deafening scream. Azumane realized a second later that the scream was so deafening because it happened right next to him. It was Fujii who screamed. And he’d expected to see something terrible to have happened to Karin for Fujii to scream like that, but Karin was standing right there in front of him.

What was really terrible was that the two sleazy-looking guys were twitching on the ground, groaning in pain. One of them had a black eye and the other was holding his nose while blood trickled down between his fingers. 

Karin turned her head towards her friends. Her long black hair was a little disheveled. She herself had a single drop of blood on her cheek, but Azumane was sure that that was not her blood. The blood on her knuckles gave him that assumption. 

“Yuuko-chan?” She addressed Fujii first, then her childhood friend. “Asahi?”

After that incident, Karin would get a week-long suspension from school and expelled from the calligraphy club. Fujii would live the day and tell of the horrifying scene of Karin, soaked in the color of blood by the red sunset, standing over the two guys like a demon. 

Azumane had seen it with his own eyes and could see why his childhood friend got her nickname. And although he hadn’t spent as much time with her as when they were kids, he still had a shadow of a doubt.

He doubted that the friend he grew up with, Oniwa Karin, was actually a cruel person.


	2. The Lunch Pail Incident

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thanks for reading! I drew a little picture of Karin the other day and wanted to share it. At the end of the chapter is Karin after beating up some sleazy guys, heh!

It was the middle of March. After a week-long suspension from school for a public brawl, Oniwa Karin was finally back in school. Although, some may say that it was a one-sided beating. 

“Karin!” 

Karin looked over to the sound of her childhood friend’s voice. Azumane sat down at the desk next to hers. Having just finished morning practice with the Boys Volleyball Club, Azumane emitted warmth from his body. 

“I’m glad to see you’re back in school,” said Azumane, even though his face showed more concern than gladness. “Was your dad mad that you got suspended?”

“Not more than usual,” Karin shrugged and said lightly. That was how she always spoke. Lightly. Coolly. Unbothered. 

Azumane decided to think about that response at a later time and continued, “It’s too bad about the Calligraphy Club.”

“That’s all right. It was just something to do after school to lessen the amount of time I’d see my dad.”

Azumane frowned at his friend. He didn't want to let the conversation linger on her dad. Since they were kids, he knew that Karin didn’t have a good relationship with her dad. From what Karin told him, her mother had passed away when Karin was born, and since then he’s become a brute man who got mad at everything. Well, he didn't change immediately. He was tolerable when Karin's older sister was still around. Then he gradually became worse, and Karin stopped talking about him much after the older sister moved to Tokyo to attend medical school. 

The only thing Azumane knew for sure was that anytime Karin didn't do well in school or got into trouble, she’d get scolded all night until her father got tired and fell asleep on the couch.

As if she could read the discomfort on Azumane’s face, Karin diverted the conversation herself. 

“I got a part time job at Sakanoshita Store in place of Calligraphy Club.”

“A part time job?” Azumane questioned. “Are you allowed to have a part time job at sixteen?”

“The owner there used to date my sister,” said Karin. “I threatened to call my sister and he gave me the job. It’s not like he’s paying me much for it though.”

Azumane nodded at the thought of Karin’s older sister and accepted that explanation. 

“I’m guessing your sister is still as… influential as ever, huh?”

“Yep. That’s why she’s the pride of the family.”

Azumane chuckled awkwardly; Karin was not so sarcastic when they were kids. Azumane believed that Karin also changed a lot after her sister left for Tokyo. Her sister was really tremendously smart and she excelled in school. When she was around, she was able to keep their father’s attention away from Karin. Now that she’s gone, Karin was the only one their father could nag at. 

“Ah, Oniwa-san, you’re back,” Sugawara Koushi greeted Karin as he walked into class, cutting the awkward silence between her and Azumane. 

“Sugawara-san,” Karin nodded at the boy with gray hair. 

Sugawara didn't ask Karin about her suspension or expulsion from Calligraphy Club. Their homeroom teacher was already walking into the classroom. 

The class stood up to greet their teacher at the call of their class representative, then sat back down. The teacher carried on with the teaching and the students carried on with the note taking. Everything was business as usual, except for Oniwa Karin, whose thoughts were now far far away in the clouds that she stared at through the classroom window.

* * *

“You’re late.”

Ukai Keishin said to the young girl running into the store. He threw an apron at his newly hired helper.

“I got called to the principal’s office after classes,” Oniwa Karin said as she put the apron on over her school uniform. 

Ukai narrowed his eyes at her. “Okay, but you can’t use that excuse again. I didn’t hire you so you can slack off.”

“Okay, but how many customers came in during the 15 minutes that I was late for?” 

“...Zero,” said Ukai cheekily. “But that’s not the point.”

“It won’t happen again,” Karin said and gave Ukai a solemn look. 

Ukai let out a sigh. He could only blame himself for getting involved with the Oniwa sisters. 

“Just go stock the shelves.”

“Okay, boss.”

Being a small neighborhood store, Sakanoshita didn't get many customers besides neighborhood housewives and students from Karasuno High School who walk by after school. That’s why when a student wearing a different school’s uniform walked in, Ukai took notice. 

The student was a short but burly boy with blonde highlights. He looked around the store but did not pick up anything. He went quietly to the aisle where Karin was stocking bottles of soy sauce. 

“Looking for something?” Karin asked when she noticed the boy. 

“Ah… um…” the burly boy thought for awhile and said, “Soy sauce.”

Karin raised an eyebrow, then hands the boy a bottle from the shelf in front of her.

The boy took the soy sauce and frowned. 

“Anything else?” Karin asked.

“Oy, Highlights!” Ukai called from the cashier's counter, his voice extra rough on purpose. “If you got what you wanted, hurry up and pay!”

The boy’s body stiffened for a second, and he went up to Ukai to pay for the soy sauce. Ukai looked the boy up and down while dangling a cigarette between his lips. He glared at the boy while he paid and kept watching until the boy left the store.

“That’s not the way to look at a customer,” Karin commented.

Ukai studied Karin up and down like he did to Highlights. “You’re not getting into any trouble, are you?”

“No,” said Karin without missing a beat. 

“Do I need to call your sister?”

“Do you dare?”

Ukai rolled his eyes. With a ‘hmph’ he plopped back down in his chair behind the counter and flipped open his magazine. The corners of Karin’s lips curled up ever so slightly, but Ukai couldn’t see that behind the magazine. 

Just as Karin was about to go back to stocking the shelves, the door of the store opened again. Karin looked over in surprise to see her friend. 

“Asahi?”

“Ah, sorry, are you busy?” Azumane ducked slightly as he scratched his cheek. He didn't really need anything from the store, but he was curious to see if Karin was really working here like she said. 

“Does it look busy?” Karin replied, earning another glare from Ukai. “Finished with volleyball practice?”

“Yeah,” Azumane nodded his head. Suddenly, he realized that he didn't know what his next move was. 

WIth one long look at Azumane, Karin walked over to the counter and opened the heated display box with meat buns. She grabbed a meat bun with tongs and put it into a pastry bag. Then she walked over to Azumane again and held the bag up to his chest. 

“On the house,” she said. 

“R-Really?” 

Karin looked back at Ukai, who turned out to have been watching their interaction sneakily behind his magazine. The store owner waved his hands with an annoyed look on his face now that he’s been caught. 

“Thanks, Karin,” Azumane smiled at Karin. 

“Hey, tall guy!” Ukai called out from behind the counter. “If you’re gonna take my meat bun for free, at least walk my part timer home.”

Both Azumane and Karin shot puzzling looks at Ukai, who sighed in frustration. 

“It’s dark outside already,” Ukai added, “Not safe for young girls to walk home alone.”

Azumane had no qualms with walking Karin home, but for some reason, he felt that it’s more dangerous for other people to try to mess with Karin on her way home. 

“What time are you getting off?” Azumane asked Karin.

Before Karin could answer, Ukai loudly shooed them out of his shop. “Get outta here already! It’s a slow day. I’m closing up in an hour.”

“Uh-er, sorry for the trouble!” Startled by Ukai’s outburst, Azumane bowed to the older man and scurried out the door. He waited by the entrance for Karin to gather her things. 

“The hell is with that guy?” Ukai mused, looking at the tall high school boy standing awkwardly outside of his shop. “He’s so fidgety for someone so tall and mean looking.”

“That’s my friend you’re talking about,” said Karin as she took off her apron and hung it behind the counter. “He’s also the volleyball team’s ace.”

“Are you trying to brag?” Ukai sneered.

Karin shrugged. “Just thought it was worth mentioning since you’re so sentimental about your high school volleyball days.”

“Get out. Now.”

Karin pushed the door open. The sky was already shaded in navy blue; Karin hadn't checked the time since school ended, but it was already seven o’clock. Azumane hadn't moved from his spot, but he did finish eating his meat bun. Karin signaled to him that she was ready to go now and the two of them took off together. 

“Tired?” Azumane asked.

Karin shook her head. It really was a slow day at the store. 

“How about you?” she asked in return. “I didn’t realize volleyball practice ran so long.”

“I’m pretty beat,” said Azumane. “We’re training really hard to fight for a spot in the Nationals. A couple of great first years joined. One of them’s a great libero!”

An excitement showed in Azumane’s voice as he talked about the new club members. Karin listened quietly even though she didn't know what a libero was. 

“Ah! I’m sorry, am I boring you?” In realizing that he’s been the only one talking for a while now, Azumane apologized. 

Karin turned her head to face Azumane. “Your passion for volleyball could never bore me, Asahi.”

Azumane thought that he saw a very faint smile from Karin, but he couldn’t be sure. It was dark out and he really hadn't seen Karin smile in a long time.

* * *

Karin woke up the next morning to the sound of her dad’s car pulling out of their driveway. As a construction worker, Karin’s dad left for work very early each morning. Karin liked this fact because he didn't bother to wake her up before going to work, but sometimes, his old, beat-up truck would do that for him. Karin yawned and got out of bed. It was a little bit early for her to go to school, but she decided to go anyway. It was not like she could fall back asleep. 

Karin got dressed into Karasuno High School’s girls uniform. She wrapped a scarf around her neck and heads out of the door. Only a week until April, when the weather would warm up again. Karin disliked the cold weather a lot. 

“Karin-chan!”

A feminine voice beckoned to her when she passed by Azumane Asahi’s house, which was only two houses down the street from hers. She backed up to the front gate to see who had called her; it was Azumane’s mom. The woman put on some slippers and hurried to the front gate with neatly packed lunch pails. She had a troubled smile on her voice, much like her son’s. 

“Would it be a huge trouble for you to take Asahi’s lunch with you to school? That stupid son of mine forgot it and he’s already at morning practice.”

“Sure, aunty,” said Karin as she took over the lunch pails. They were heavy. “Two lunches just for Asahi?”

“He’s been eating a lot more now that the volleyball club is practicing so hard,” Mrs. Azumane let out a soft sigh. “I’m beginning to think I need to make three lunches. He said he was starving after practice yesterday, and good thing you had given him a meat bun.”

A little taken back by the fact that Azumane told his mom about the meat bun, Karin shifted her eyes. 

“It’s nothing.” 

Mrs. Azumane gleamed at the young girl. “Have a good day at school, Karin-chan!”

Karin carried Azumane’s big lunch pails all the way to school. Good thing she was there early, or other people might add 'Karin the Glutton' to her nicknames. As she walked through the school gates, she contemplated whether to leave the lunch pails on Azumane’s desk or bring it to him at morning practice. Thinking that he might be hungry after practice, she decided that she’d bring it straight to him.

She made her way to the gym. The sounds of shoes squeaking against the gym floor and the boys’ energetic shouts get louder and louder as she got closer. The gym’s door was closed during the cold morning, but there were tall windows next to the door. Karin set the lunch pails down and peeked into the window while on her tiptoes. She saw Azumane on the court immediately.

“Asahi!” Sugawara shouted as he set the ball up for Azumane to spike. 

Karin did not blink as she watched Azumane jump up to spike the ball. Everything seemed to be in slow motion. Azumane was already tall but he jumped past the top of the net. His muscular arm swung at a perfect angle. A few strands of his long hair loosened from his hair tie.

For a split second, Karin thought she saw black wings spread from his back. Her usually tight lips opened up slightly. 

“Can I help you?"

Karin snapped out of her trance at the voice of another female student. She turned to look at a really pretty girl with black hair and pink glasses. She was wearing a black tracksuit and holding a clipboard, which led Karin to believe that she was the manager of the Boys Volleyball Club. 

“Ah…” a surge of embarrassment overcame Karin, and the first thing she could think of doing was making a run for it. 

“Wait!” the pretty girl called out after Karin as she bolted away from the gym. 

The lunch pails sat right where she left them next to the door. 

Shimizu Kiyoko kept her gaze on the fleeing girl for a while, until she was out of sight. Kiyoko thought she’s seen the girl before; probably a second year like her. 

“She runs really fast...” Shimizu murmured.

The door to the gym opened and Sugawara Koushi stood in the doorway. 

“Ah, Shimizu, you’re here!”

“Good morning.” Kiyoko greeted, and looked down at the lunch pails.

Sugawara followed the volleyball manager’s gaze and noticed the lunch pails. “Oh! Those are Asahi’s! I recognize the wrapping cloth.”

“A girl left them here,” said Kiyoko.

“WHAT?! A GIRL?!” Tanaka Ryuunosuke’s voice boomed from inside the gym. 

“OOOOH!! That’s Karasuno’s ace for ya!” Nishinoya Yuu’s voice followed. “You’ve got a secret admirer, Asahi-san!”

Azumane was utterly flabbergasted by the couple of first years who just joined the club. He knew full well that his mom must have asked Karin to bring his lunch pails since he forgot them. But the fact that the first years made a fuss and were now discussing what kind of girl would secretly admire him heightened his embarrassment to the max level. 

So, for the rest of the day, Azumane’s spikes have either been blocked or gone out of bounds, and Nishinoya and Tanaka just could not stop laughing at him.

* * *


	3. The Meat Bun Incident

"Aunty really started making 3 lunches, huh?"

Azumane grinned sheepishly at Karin's observation.

It was lunchtime at school. The second year trio of the volleyball team—Azumane, Sugawara, and Sawamura—were having lunch together in Azumane's classroom. Noticing Karin by herself, Azumane invited her to join them. Being a friendly pair, Sugawara and Sawamura were quick to welcome her to their table.

"I just seem to get hungry easily," said Azumane as he played around with the omelette in the lunch box.

"You guys are quite the eaters too," said Karin, eyeing Sugawara and Sawamura's lunches. The school desks were almost not big enough for their lunch spread.

"What about you, Oniwa-san?" Sugawara asked.

Karin reached into the side pouch of her school bag and took out a triangular rice ball. It was clearly not homemade since it was wrapped in plastic.

"Pickled plum," she said flatly as she ripped the wrapping open.

"Is that enough?" Sawamura asked, suddenly feeling strangely guilty for having two packed lunches himself.

Karin nodded in response.

"Is that from Sakanoshita Store?" Azumane asked.

"Yeah," Karin replied.

"Sakanoshita Store! I love their meat buns!" Sawamura remarked at the mention of the neighborhood store.

"Oh yeah, Asahi said you work there part time. Is that true?" Sugawara asked.

Karin noded again as she bit down on her rice ball.

"A high schooler having a job… that sounds really cool!" Sugawara said pleasantly.

"Not as cool as finishing all this food in fifteen minutes," said Karin, noting the empty lunch boxes in front of the three boys. "If you guys are hungry after evening practice, you can come over to the store. I'll hook you up with meat buns."

The volleyball players cheered for the meat buns, and Azumane chuckled lightly at the silliness of the casual way she said 'I'll hook you up.' It was little bit silly, and a little bit cute at the same time.

* * *

Ukai Keishin stared at his part timer grouchily with a broom in his hand; her textbooks and homework were spread out on the table in his store, and she was punching numbers into a calculator—likely taken from the cashier counter—trying to solve a math problem.

"I didn't give you a job so you can do your homework here," he grumbled.

"There are no customers," Karin said without looking up from her homework.

"Tch," Ukai sent a glare her way, even though she didn't see it. "If you needed a place to be after school, you could have just joined a study group or something."

Karin finally looks up at Ukai with a stony expression. "I can't get into one because my grades are so bad."

She didn't tell him that she didn't have the courage to approach any study group. She was well aware of the reputation she has among the second years. A lot of people seemed to think that they'll get caught up in some kind of trouble if they hung out with her.

Ukai rolled his eyes at Karin's excuse. When Karin came to his store to ask for a job midday on a Monday, he knew that she got in trouble again. He also knew thoroughly that she'll do anything other than staying home and dealing with her dad. He dated her older sister, after all, who'd lived in under that same roof. And while he was occasionally sympathetic about her situation, he also believed that she was old enough to take responsibility for her actions.

The thing was, though Karin was usually impassive about most things, she would snap when all of her suppressed feelings implode. And it's just unfortunate that Karin's naturally 'heavy-handed' if someone pushed her buttons. That was what her sister told Ukai years ago. But he wasn't going to be so protective of her like her sister.

"At least do _a little_ bit of work when you're here." He shoved the broomstick towards the brat.

"Fine, boss."

Karin stood up from the table and took the broomstick. She made her rounds up and down the aisles that were already pretty clean. Ukai was already back in his usual position behind the cashier counter, smoking while reading a magazine.

The bells attached to the front door rang as the door was opened. The boy with Highlights was back, and he immediately locked eyes with Karin.

"What? Already out of soy sauce?" Ukai snarled at the boy.

The boy flinched slightly at Ukai's hostile voice, he walked towards the grocery aisles and mumbled, "Vinegar…"

Ukai watched the boy closely as he was just one aisle away from Karin. The boy took a bottle of vinegar from the shelf, but then put it back. He loitered a little more in that aisle before making his way back to the front.

"You don't have the brand I want," he said.

"Then scram!" Ukai yelled with annoyance.

Suddenly, a short boy with spiked up hair barged into the store before Highlights could leave.

"MEAT BUNS!"

"Only one per person, got it?" another tall boy with ashy hair came in and said with authority.

The two boys were followed by four more high school boys, except one of them, the tallest one, looked more like a college student.

"Asahi!" Karin let go of the broomstick at the sight of her good friend and came to the front of the store.

"Sorry, Karin, I accidentally leaked the information about the meat buns," said Azumane with a troubled smile. He raised his arm to scratch the back of his head, but with his height, he didn't notice someone right next to him. He accidentally bumped his elbow into Highlights.

"Ah! I'm so—"

"Eek!"

Before Azumane could apologize, Highlights scrambled out of the store. Azumane was dumbfounded, but the other boys all laughed. Azumane got mistaken as a gangster too often with his goatee and stature.

"Oy, stop being so loud in the store!" Ukai ordered and turned to Karin, "You know these clowns?"

"Not all of them," said Karin and looked at Azumane. "I'm guessing they're your teammates, Asahi?"

"Yeah, we're all in the volleyball club together," said Azumane. "Guys, this is my friend, Oniwa Karin."

"Oniwa Karin?!" the short one exclaimed.

"You can't be—Karin the Demon?!" a boy with short frizzy hair joined in the exclamation.

The two of them each got a smack on the head from the ashy-haired boy.

"Don't be rude!" He scolded his underclassmen. "Sorry about these two idiots. I'm Kurokawa Hiroki, captain of the volleyball team."

Karin nodded at him in acknowledgment.

"I'm not trying to be rude! I'm saying she _can't_ be Karin the Demon!" The frizzy-haired boy complained as he rubbed a red bump that was now on top of his head. "I thought Karin the Demon would be really scary looking."

"Yeah! I never would have thought Karin the Demon is actually a cute girl!" the short one added.

"Hey," Karin turned to the two first years and gave them a warning look. "I hear that nickname again, no one gets meat buns. Got it?"

The two boys zipped up their lips. Sugawara and Sawamura shook their heads and settled the first years down at the table, and apologized for the first year morons, Tanaka Ryuunosuke and Nishinoya Yuu.

Karin turned away to get them meat buns, but she said before she took a step, "I wouldn't mind if you called me Demon-senpai."

"Demon-senpai!" The first years shouted in unison.

The corners of Karin's lips curled up just half a millimeter. "Boss, I'm taking six meat buns."

"Wait, Oniwa-kun, let me," Kurokawa stepped up to the counter. "I'll pay for the meat buns for my teammates."

"Thanks, Captain!" the whole volley team shouted this time, earning a death glare from Ukai.

Karin handed Tashiro six meat buns. She then took six paper cups and filled them with water, and them over to the table on a little tray. She set one down in front of Azumane first.

"Thanks, Karin," Azumane swallowed his bite of meat bun quickly and said.

"Is this your math homework, Oniwa-san?" Sugawara pointed at the papers still spread out on the table. "It's… all wrong."

A faint pinkness flashed across her cheeks as she quickly shoved all the books and papers into her school bag.

A bout of laughter filled the usually quiet Sakanoshita Store. Ukai didn't like loud ruckuses, but he decided to let it go this time.

The volleyball boys leave all together as they finished eating the meat buns. It was also about time for Karin to take off, so she began to gather up her things and put away her apron. Just before she headed out, she saw Ukai handing her a paper bag. She took it and saw that it was a meat bun.

"Take it. It's the last one."

"Are you hoping that I'd put in a good word for you to my sister?"

Ukai pursed his lips. Such a brat, this one. "I'd rather you not talk about me at all to the Demon Queen."

Karin breathed out something that resembled laughter, and left the store.

"See ya, boss!" Karin called out before the door closed behind her. She turned towards the direction of her house and was startled to see Azumane standing at the street corner.

"Asahi?" Karin took quick, light steps to Azumane's side. "Were you waiting for me?"

"Er… yeah," said Azumane sheepishly, "it's late, isn't it?"

"...You're right."

The two of them walked leisurely to their homes. Nights were quiet in the suburbs of Miyagi and all the two teenagers could hear were each other's footsteps and the grass sashaying with the wind.

"So…" Azumane started a little awkwardly. "Um, I noticed that you haven't been having lunch with Fujii-san"

"Hm… actually, I haven't really seen her or talked to her since I got kicked out of the calligraphy club," Karin recalled.

"Eh? Really?" Azumane said in surprise, but did not know how to continue the conversation.

"It's all right. I wasn't any good at calligraphy anyway," said Karin.

"I-Is that so…?" Azumane did not question her response, but he felt that she's missed the point there.

"It feels like I've had more conversations with you these past couple of weeks than I've had throughout middle school," Karin noted, changing the subject.

"Ah, I think you're right," Azumane said, looking up at the sky as he remembered the middle school days. "I was so busy with volleyball back then."

"You still are."

Azumane's laughed, but it was laced with guilt.

"You don't need to feel guilty about loving volleyball," said Karin, deciphering the boy's laugh easily. "I'm glad we're still friends, though."

"O-of course!" Azumane said quickly.

Karin came to an abrupt stop. Azumane looked back at her quizzically, and the girl pointed her thumb at the house to her right.

"This is me," she said softly.

Azumane took a second to register, then smiled bashfully, scratching the back of his head. He didn't even realize that he'd already passed his own house. He passed by Karin as he walked back the way they came, and she muttered a 'goodnight.' He muttered it back before lightly jogging back to his house.

* * *

Walking home with Karin became a new routine for Azumane. It just so happened that by the time volleyball practice ended, Karin was also off work. At first, it was something that Ukai said that he took to heart. Girls shouldn't walk home alone when the sun's set. But he forgot about that reason a few days after. He rather enjoyed chatting with Karin on his walks home.

It was Thursday evening, and Azumane made his way to Sakanoshita Store after volleyball practice as usual. The owner, Ukai, happened to be taking the trash out. He noticed Azumane's immediately.

"You again, tall guy," he said with a cigarette in his mouth. "Karin's not here. She called in sick, so I gave her a day off today."

"Oh, I see," Azumane nodded slowly with confusion. Karin seemed fine during school. Then again, she was pretty stoic all the time, so it's hard to tell whether she was really sick or not.

Brushing off the thoughts, Azumane continued his walk back home alone. When he got to the gates to his house, he subconsciously looked towards the direction of Karin's house. Since it was just two houses away, he could see that the lights were off in the house. Maybe she was resting because she's sick?

Azumane entered his house. He ate dinner, took a shower, and watched volleyball on TV as usual, but there was a buzzing sound in his head. Then, the doorbell to his house rang.

"Coming!"

Sitting in the living room, he heard his mom scurry to the door.

"Oniwa-san?" his mom's surprised voice followed the sound of the door opening.

Jumping from the couch, Azumane swerved around and leaned over the back of the couch to see the front door. Standing there at the door was not Oniwa Karin, but her father. He had a deep frown and mixed look of anger and worry in his eyes.

"Have you seen my daughter?" Mr. Oniwa asked in a low growl. "She has not come home yet."

Azumane's heart tightened at those words.

"Eh?! But it's already ten o'clock," Mrs. Azumane gasped. "Should we call the police?"

"I'm going to ask some more people down the street. I'll call the police if she still doesn't show up," Mr. Oniwa grunted and took off.

"How worrisome…" Mrs. Oniwa murmured as she pushed the door closed.

"Mom! I'll be right back!" Azumane bolted past his mom as he threw on a jacket.

"W-wait! Asahi?!" Before Mrs. Oniwa could react, the door's already swung open and closed.

Azumane didn't realize how idiotic he was until he was running around town aimlessly. He fumbled through his jacket pocket and took out his phone. He found Karin's number and called as he kept running. As he expected, Karin did not pick up. He called a second, third, and fourth time. Finally, on the fifth call, he heard the click. The call has been picked up.

Instead of Karin's greeting, he heard muffled male voices in the background. Just as his heart dropped, Karin's voice cuts through, even though there was clearly a distance between her and her phone.

"...So that's why you called me out to this silly old bridge? To get revenge for your boy?"

* * *

To be continued.


	4. The Bridge Incident

Karin knew it was trouble when she found that note under the bottle of vinegar at Sakanoshita Store. Ukai was taking inventory in the storage room at the time while she was organizing the shelves. She immediately remembered the boy with highlights when she saw the note.

_Come to the bottom of the Shinshou Bridge if you don't want to see this store trashed._

She shoved the note into her pocket as Ukai came out from the storage room. Of course, she knew this meant trouble. Of course, she knew that it would be dumb if she went to that bridge. Of course, she knew that she shouldn't let her buttons be pushed so easily.

But she couldn't help that her buttons were people who were important to her. And she couldn't help that Ukai Keishin was her sister's favorite person.

On the next day, she called the store and told Ukai that she was feeling under the weather. Ukai had the tendency to tease her, but this time he told her outright to take the day off. He told her so firmly that it made her feel a little bit guilty for lying.

She'd rushed home after school while avoiding Azumane. After she changed out of her school uniform just in time before her father came home from work, she left.

Shinsou Bridge was an old bridge between Karasuno's town and a neighboring town. A cargo train used to run across the bridge in the old days. The cargo train didn't exist anymore, but the train tracks remained, though grass has grown over them.

Three guys were waiting under that bridge along the river bank. Karin recognized two of them; one was one of the guys who harassed her and Fujii and the other was Highlights. The third guy, the toughest-looking of all of them, she did not recognize. Whether she recognized them or not, she could tell they were delinquents.

"Are you kidding me?!" The tough one exclaimed at his buddies when he saw Karin arrive. "Tatakawa, you guys got beat up by a girl?!"

"Seriously! I thought it was that blonde guy who runs the store!" Highlights added with a sneer.

"Shut up, you two!" The guy named Tatakawa barked back. "I'm telling you, she's crazy! Remember Yasu's broken nose?"

Karin watched them bicker with heavy lidded eyes. She was getting impatient.

Suddenly, she felt the cell phone in her pocket vibrate. She didn't pick up since she thought it must have been her dad. But after it stopped, it started vibrating again.

"Hey, you," Takakawa stepped towards Karin. "You're gonna learn what happens when you mess with us!"

Karin narrowed her eyes. "Three black eyes, three broken noses, or assorted? You pick."

Her phone vibrated a third time.

The tough one snorted. "Ha! She's funny! And kind of cute! Too bad you won't be so cute after tonight!"

"Maybe we should savor that a little bit before we ruin it, heh," Highlights chuckled.

Her phone vibrated a fourth time.

"You guys really have the classic delinquent lines down," said Karin, putting her hands in her pockets.

Her phone vibrated a fifth time. She couldn't stand it anymore and moved her thumb around to press the hang up button.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Takakawa asked with a growl, not getting the sarcasm in Karin's words.

"The lines you used to taunt me and the insinuation that you're going to violate me are overused. The guy whose nose I broke was a master at these lame sayings," Karin said casually, but also darkly. "So that's why you called me out to this silly old bridge? To get revenge for your boy?"

"Tch. Tatakawa, Matsui, I don't like this one anymore. Let's just give her what she's asking for!"

"Yeah, you're right!"

The guys cracked their fists and Karin pulled her hands out of her pockets. Then, a voice broke through the quiet air around them.

"Karin!"

* * *

Azumane understood what Karin meant by the silly old bridge right away. Everyone in this town would know, since this was the only bridge that was no longer being used and people seldom often went around there. He was glad that he was close by. He ran as fast as he could to the Shinshou Bridge.

And there Karin was, under the bridge, facing three delinquents by herself.

His stomach churned; he was nervous. He'd never got into a physical fight before, and in the back of his head, he knew that Karin could probably fight better than him. But when he saw the sickening ways that the delinquents were looking at her, he couldn't help but butt in.

"Karin!" he shouted loudly as he ran up to her from behind.

Karin swerved around, her eyes widened at the sight of him.

Looking past her, the delinquents jaws dropped and looks of fear replaced their earlier bloodthirsty ones.

"What the hell, Tatakawa! You didn't say she's involved in a real gang!"

"How the hell would I have known?!" Tatakawa retorted nervously. "How big is that guy?! Over 6 feet?!"

"Look at him! He's gonna kill us!"

"...Eh?" Azumane slowed down next to Karin, who looked just as confused as him.

"Let's get out of here!"

The three delinquents scrambled away past the river bank and soon they were out of sight. It took a minute for Azumane to snap out of his confusion.

"Karin! Are you hurt?"

Karin turned to Azumane, her face softened. "No. We never even started."

Azumane sighed in relief. "That's good…"

"You really saved those guys, Asahi," Karin said. "I was going to get rid of them once and for all."

"...Huh?"

"These guys are like mold, you know?" She continued, glaring in the direction that the three guys ran to. "You've gotta eradicate the mold so they don't spread around."

Azumane, usually good-natured and non confrontational, was irked by Karin's words.

"Why do you do this, Karin?" he asked sharply. "Something really bad could have happened tonight! Your dad's been looking for you!"

"Probably just going to yell at me like usual."

"That's not the point!" Azumane raised his voice. "Don't you know that you've made everyone worry? Why do you get into fights with people? What's so important that you have to put everyone through this? Do you even care?"

Karin looked at Azumane quietly as he questioned her. She got the point. She really did.

Her chest felt stuffy and there's a bitter feeling in her throat. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, so she reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. She handed it to Azumane.

Azumane's eyes widened as he read the note. He frowned; for a moment, he didn't know what to say.

"Why didn't you call the police?" He asked.

"I don't know," Karin said, averting her eyes. "I guess I was too angry to think about calling the police."

They stand in silence for a while. The knots between Azumane's eyebrows slowly loosened. He understood why Karin did what she did, but it wasn't right.

"Karin," he called her name so that she would look at him. "If you ever feel like you're backed into a corner again, or if you feel too emotional, you can come to me."

She stared at his serious face. She opened her mouth slightly, but closed it right after. Instead of saying anything, she nodded. She didn't realize until this day that her shy and fragile friend had grown up so much more than she did. Though, judging by his reddening face, that was the extent of his bravery. At least out loud, anyway, and Karin was thankful for it.

The two of them walked back to their homes together. When they got to Karin's house, Mr. Oniwa was outside talking to the police. The moment he saw Karin, he said something to the police and bowed. As the police left, Mr. Oniwa turned towards Karin with his face distorted with anger. Azumane wanted to say something, but Karin pinched him on the arm quickly to stop him.

"Get inside. Now!" Mr. Oniwa bellowed before walking back into his house.

Karin nodded and followed behind her father. Azumane stared after her until she turned into the gate, and went back to his house. As he walked away, he could hear the distant sound of Mr. Oniwa's yells.

* * *

Karin got up extra early the next morning. She didn't sleep very well. She stayed in bed until she heard her father's truck drive away from the house, then she got up and changed into her uniform. She didn't wait any longer before she left the house.

As she got out of the gate, she saw the back of her friend leaving for school as well.

"Asahi!" she called out to him.

The boy turned his head. A grave expression showed on his face.

"Karin, are you-"

"Thanks," she said before Azumane could finish his sentence.

He gave her a puzzled look.

"If it weren't for you, I'd probably get suspended again," said Karin gently.

Azumane felt the temperature in his face rising. "Ah… um… I'm sorry I yelled at you…"

"I needed that, probably."

The two of them walked to school together. It was the start of spring and the weather had gotten warmer even in the early morning. The school was quiet and empty when they arrived. The only ones walking into school were sports club members.

"Are you going to the classroom?" Azumane asked as he turned towards the direction of the gym.

Karin contemplated for a second. "Can I watch your practice?"

"O-of course!" Azumane didn't expect that question from her, and he definitely was not expecting to feel glad about the aspect of Karin watching him practice volleyball.

The other club members didn't mind her being there either. Nishinoya and Tanaka even made a big deal out of having another cute girl being in the gym with them. The other cute girl, of course, was the beautiful volleyball manager, Shimizu Kiyoko.

"I'm Oniwa Karin," Karin reached out for a handshake after Shimizu introduced herself.

"It's good to meet you properly this time," said Shimizu.

"This time?" Nishinoya questioned as he caught the small detail.

Shimizu nodded. "The lunch pail incident."

"Ohhh!" Both Nishinoya and Tanaka looked at each other with dramatic looks of realization. Azumane couldn't help but think that they have the wrong idea about something.

"You need to wear sneakers if you want to enter the gym," Shimizu said to Karin, ignoring the first years' antics.

"Ah, I brought sneakers today since there's P.E.," said Karin as she removed her tote bag from her shoulder.

After she changed her shoes, the volleyball club promptly started their practice. Instead of practicing sets, they were doing drills this morning. Shimizu was quiet as she watched the boys practice. Karin felt a similar vibe from her and that made her comfortable with watching silently. After some sets of drills, Karin was starting to get a little antsy.

"Shimizu-san," Karin said just above a whisper. "Do you understand everything that they're doing?"

"Yeah, I used to play a little myself," answered Shimizu. "How about you? Oniwa-san?"

Karin shook her head. "I don't know anything about volleyball."

"Do you wanna try?"

"Eh?" Karin looked at Shimizu, who was giving her a small smile. "Try what?"

"Here," Shimizu took a volleyball from the ball cart. She guided Karin's hands to wrap around each other into a two-handed fist, and pointed to an area on her forearm a little bit above her wrists. "Put your arms together like this for a basic 'bump.' I'll toss the ball to you and you can lightly bump it back to me."

Karin watched as Shimizu tossed the ball to her. She tried to remember the part of her forearms that Shimizu pointed at, but the ball already hit the inside of her elbow. The ball darted to the side, and Shimizu stepped forward quickly and grabbed it.

"Try again," Shimizu tossed the ball to her again.

This time, Karin sent the ball straight towards her own face.

"Are you okay, Oniwa-san?" Shimizu asked the girl who now has a red nose..

"I've been through worse," Karin said calmly, though feeling a little frustrated. The boys made it seem so easy.

"Are you giving volleyball a try, Karin?" Azumane asked as he approached the two girls, wiping the sweat from his face with a white towel.

At this point, morning practice was coming to a close. Azumane saw when Karin hit herself in the face while trying to bump. It must have hurt, he's done it to himself before, but Azumane found it a tiny bit funny. He won't really laugh at her, though.

Karin rubbed her nose as she stared at Azumane.

"I wanted to try the thing you did with the wings," she muttered.

"The wings?" Azumane was utterly confused.

"The one where you flew and hit the ball really hard."

"A spike?" Realization dawned upon Azumane, but he still had no idea what she's talking about with the wings and flying.

"Oy! Demon-senpai! You wanna try spiking?" Tanaka shouted in excitement. He loved spiking as much as any other wing spiker. "Captain! Can we let her try spiking?"

Kurokawa let out an exasperated sigh at the overly energetic first year. "Fine. But we need to be out of the gym in ten minutes."

"Just one then!" Azumane said cheerfully as he led Karin to one side of the court. He figured that she wasn't really going to spike the ball with good form and control for the first time. "Don't worry about hitting the ball inside the court. Just remember to cup your hand and hit the ball as hard as you can."

Karin nodded, feeling a bit excited.

"I'll help set the ball!" Sugawara jumped in as well, amused at the situation.

"Watch the ball, Karin!" Azumane said as he tossed the ball to Sugawara.

Karin watched the ball as Azumane instructed. The ball went to Sugawara, who put his hands up and popped the ball back into the air in front of Karin. Karin jumped up a little too early in anticipation, but she swung her hand anyway. She didn't exactly hit it with the middle of her palm, but more towards her fingers. Nonetheless, she hit it.

Azumane's eyes widened. A loud and crisp slapping sound echoed through the gym as Karin's hand made contact with the ball. He could have sworn the ball distorted when she'd hit it. The ball flew way past the court. Actually, it flew straight to the wall on the opposite side of the net. It flew so fast and so powerfully that when the ball hit the wall, he thought the wall might have a hole when the ball bounced off.

He turned towards Karin with his jaws dropped. The girl was looking at her hand with her usual stony expression. He couldn't help but imagine how much it would hurt if she were hitting a person instead of a ball. Then, he remembered the black eyes and broken nose on the delinquents that one day at the beginning of their second year. He couldn't help but shudder a little.

"A-Asahi…" Sawamura, who was standing right behind Azumane, muttered shakily.

Azumane looked around; everyone else was also looking at her with wide eyes and open mouths. He even heard Nishinoya murmur 'Karin the Demon.'

"Y-yes, Daichi," Azumane answered his teammate.

"I think… we should introduce her to Michimiya."

* * *

To be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to all who have been reading this story and those who left Kudos! I'm happy to say that I'll be updating this story more frequently now that most of it has been written. Meanwhile, I also wanted to put a little character stats I made for Karin. It's just something I like to do for fun for my OC's.
> 
> Romanized name: Oniwa Karin  
> Japanese name: 鬼和花梨  
> Nickname: Karin the Demon  
> Gender: Female  
> Height: 167cm  
> Weight: 50kg  
> Family: Oniwa Hiroshi (Father)  
> Oniwa Hana (Mother - Deceased)  
> Oniwa Akari (Older sister)  
> Likes: Onigiri  
> Nomenclature:  
> 鬼 (demon) 和 (Japanese)  
> 花梨 (flowering quince)


	5. The Middle School Incident

Middle school was an awkward time for everyone. Your future was supposed to be wide open for you, but you also needed to be passionate about one thing already, because you couldn't make friends if you weren't. Oniwa Karin wasn't a passionate person. Jack of no trades. The only thing she was naturally good at was fighting, and not actual martial arts like Judo or Karate either. It was good old fist fights where she excelled.

Karin's first fight happened during her second year in middle school, when she stumbled upon a third year bullying a first year for his wallet behind the school's storage room for sports equipment. She recognized the first year boy; she'd seen him walking with Azumane Asahi out of the volleyball club room. She hadn't learned to butt out of other people's business at the time, so she stepped in between the third year and the first year. Of course, the third year wasn't bothered by yet another freshman, and a girl no less. And it was when the senior made a grab for her uniform collar did she truly understand what her sister called 'heavy-handed'.

All she did was seize the guy's wrist before he could touch her, and when she twisted it as a warning, she felt something in his wrist snap. That crisp sound was immediately followed by the surprisingly feminine scream from the upperclassman.

After the senior ran to the infirmary holding his wrist, Karin turned to see if the first year was okay. The answer was clearly no because he was sitting on the ground, shaking and eyeing her with fear. She didn't understand why he had to fear her; it wasn't her fault if the guy was calcium-deficient. But she knew, at least, that wasn't a time to be sarcastic.

"Hey, don't tell Azumane Asahi about this," said Karin with her typical cold voice, which, at that moment, was quite unfortunate.

The first year flinched when Karin spoke to him, and was confused by her command.

"A-Azumane-senpai knows you?"

That was a valid question. Karin couldn't remember the last conversation she had with Azumane since it had been at least a year ago since they really talked. Karin told him that they were friends, and the boy said he believed her and swore he won't tell Azumane. He did keep his promise to not tell Azumane, but he also told everyone else he knew. Karin found that out from the hallway's whispers when she came back to school after a week-long suspension.

"It's that girl! Oniwa Karin!"

"I heard she broke Taneda's wrist!"

"How scary!"

"I heard she's friends with Azumane in class 2-A."

"You don't suppose they're in a gang together? They're both so scary!"

It wasn't that the students' whispering didn't bother her, but to Karin, 'scary' was far better than 'useless,' which she heard much more loudly at home. What she felt worse about was that Azumane was dragged into this. But when she passed by his classroom and saw him through the window, laughing with his volleyball friends, she was both relieved that the rumors didn't reach him and melancholic that she still couldn't remember when the two of them fell out of touch even after thinking about it all week.

But all that was in the past now.

* * *

_Ping pong!_

Karin blinked her eyes open at the sound of her doorbell. She struggled to grab her cell phone on her bedside desk and squinted at the time on the display screen. Five-thirty in the morning. Groaning audibly to no one, she rolled out of bed.

Out of grogginess and aching muscles, Karin nearly stumbled down the stairs. She made it to the front door and pulled it open without asking who it was, because she knew it was Azumane Asahi. The boy she anticipated stood by the doorway, looking too awake at this hour. The boy, on the other hand, immediately noticed that Karin was still in her pajamas and she hadn't even brushed her hair yet.

"Karin, did you just wake up?" Azumane frowned. "You'll be late for practice if we don't leave in ten minutes!"

"Wait inside," she grunted in a hoarse voice. She hadn't even taken a drink of water since she got up.

Azumane stepped inside, but did not go further than the foyer. Karin dragged herself upstairs, and after a few minutes, she came downstairs again with her school bag and a duffel bag. Instead of her school uniform, she was in a tracksuit.

Azumane gave her a bright smile and the two of them took off towards school.

It has been a week since Karin joined Karasuno High's Girls Volleyball Club. When Sawamura and Azumane took her to the second gym a week ago to meet Michimiya Yui, she didn't expect this life changing event. Michimiya, a second year like her, asked to see her spike, and though she nearly broke the the window by an inch, Michimiya gawked the same way the boys did.

" _Please! You have to join the Girls Volleyball Club!"_

Karin remembered how Michimiya's eyes sparkled when she asked her to join the club. Karin resisted at first, saying that she was already in her second year of high school, and she wasn't going to improve enough to be any good for the team.

" _Don't worry about the small things, Karin-chan! I'll personally teach you and make you the secret weapon of our team!"_

It must have been Michimiya's enthusiasm that led to Karin's eventual agreement to join the club. She didn't have the same kind of passion for volleyball like the short-haired girl or Sawamura or Azumane. But she was never able to withstand the power of other people's passions. So Karin agreed to join, not entirely reluctantly. A small part of her actually wanted to like volleyball. And when Karin told Ukai that she was quitting due to having volleyball practice, even he was glad. Though he never really wanted her to work at his store in the first place.

"How do you like volleyball so far?" Azumane asked as they walked to school together.

"I haven't really played," said Karin with a yawn. "Yui-san has been teaching me basic volleyball moves and making me do drills. And by teaching I mean wringing me dry. She's really hardcore."

"That sounds like Michimiya," Azumane chuckled softly. "She's really good, even better than some of the third years. Daichi said she's definitely going to be the captain next year."

Speaking of the devil, the two of them arrived at school at the same time as Michimya. The short-haired girl was delighted to see Karin. She ran over to Karin and grabbed Karin by the arm.

"Good morning, Karin-chan!" She hollered with the most energy Karin had ever seen at six in the morning. "Ready for another day of volleyball fun?!"

"What if I said I wasn't ready?" Karin said with a hint of exasperation.

"You'll have to do it anyway!" Michimiya laughed. "Thanks for delivering our secret weapon, Azumane!"

"Heh, heh…" Azumane scratched the back of his head, feeling slightly bad for Karin. "Well, don't work her too hard."

"You're underestimating her, Azumane! She has more stamina than you think!" Michimiya said proudly, making Karin a bit embarrassed. "Let's go, Karin-Chan!"

Karin let herself get dragged by Michimiya by the arm. Even though she would never show it, she appreciated Michimiyas enthusiasm. She didn't want to think too much into it, but she had a tiny hope that she may have found a really good friend this time.

"Do your best, Karin!"

Karin veered her head slightly at Azumane's voice. She glimpsed at his smile, and turned back towards the direction of the gym.

The spring air hasn't smelled this fresh to Karin in years.

* * *

"So how do you like volleyball, Oniwa-san?"

Karin blinked at Sugawara's pleasant smile. She couldn't count how many times she'd heard that question for the past week.

"I mostly do drills while the other girls do practice games. But Yui-san started teaching me how to serve this morning."

Lunchtime at school has become livelier since Karin joined the Girls Volleyball Club. Some days she would have lunch with Michimiya and other second year girls from the club. Some days she would eat with Azumane and Sugawara, and sometimes Sawamura would join them if he happened to come by from the other class. Today, she was eating with the boys.

"Serving, huh?" Sawamura pictured Karin's spike in his head. "I see... If you can manage to learn how to do a jump serve with your power, it's going to be really hard for the other team to receive it!"

Karin reached into her backpack and pulled out another rice ball from the Sakanoshita Store. Before she tore open the wrapping, a lunch box was placed down in front of her.

"You need to eat more now that you have morning and evening practice," Azumane said. "My mom prepared an extra lunch box for you."

Karin stared at Azumane, then at the lunch box. She opened it to find salt-grilled salmon with rice and steamed vegetables. She couldn't remember the last time she had such a healthy, homemade meal.

"Thank you," she muttered. "How come aunty knows about me being in the volleyball club?"

"Ah, she asked me the other day," said Azumane. "She's been asking about you a lot."

At this, Sugawara and Sawamura exchanged subtle looks.

* * *

"Asahi, does Oniwa-san know that you like her?"

"What?!"

Azumane nearly slammed the locker door on his fingers when he heard Sugawara's question while they were changing in their club room. Evening practice ended early and the boys have left the club room one by one after grabbing their school things. He's glad that no one else was in the club room with them, or else it'd be a hundred times more embarrassing.

"Ka-Ka-Karin is just a friend!" he splutters; the redness on his face contradicting his words.

"Is that so?" Sugawara snickers at his friend's obvious behavior. "You do find her cute at least, am I right?"

"C-cute?" Azumane continued to stutter. He doesn't even dare to picture Karin in his head right now because somehow that felt inappropriate. "We grew up together! I-I don't think about her that way!"

"Maybe you should start," Sugawara suggested so casually as if he was suggesting him to brush his teeth everyday. "Daichi and I think you two have chemistry. I've never seen Oniwa-san so comfortable with anyone else but you."

"Even Daichi?!"

Sugawara grinned mischievously. "Heh… Childhood friends turned lovers. Ah, how nice!"

"C-cut it out already!"

"All right, all right!"

The two of them got out of the club room and Sugawara waved Azumane goodbye after locking up. Azumane, insteading of heading out of school, walked to the second gym. Since Karin joined the girls volleyball club, they have been walking together to and from school everyday day.

The Girls Volleyball Club was still at it when Azumane arrived. He didn't try to go in, but he was tall enough to see inside the gym from the window.

The girls were doing side-to-sides as a finisher for their practice. It was the first time Azumane actually saw Karin practice in real-time. Karin had her long black hair up in a ponytail. While still expressionless, Azumane can see the rare concentration in her eyes as she moved with the other girls. Her skin was flushed from the physical activity and little beads of sweat dropped from the sides of her face.

Azumane felt himself getting warm from the neck up, to the point that he consciously turned away from the window.

Sugawara was right; he did find Karin to be cute. Very cute.

This spring was definitely a lot warmer than the last.

* * *

To be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Forgive me for this short chapter where nothing major happens! It feels a little weird to put all these bullying and delinquent stuff in the world of Haikyuu! but I guess I needed it for plot, haha. For the next few chapters this story will shift into the slice-of-life high school romance it was meant to be! Cue the fluff (and maybe a tiny drop of angst)!


	6. The Iodine Incident

"Training camp?"

"Yeah! Over Golden Week! And besides training, we will have practice matches with other schools in the prefecture!"

When Karin signed up for the volleyball club, she had thought it was just going to be a school days thing. She later found out that the club also practiced on some weekends. And now, she learned that they have at least one training camp annually. Though it was very sports-club-esque, she still didn't see it coming.

She couldn't help but think about what she used to do during Golden Week. Nothing really came to mind.

"So you'll come right?" Michimiya asked expectantly.

"... I think so," Karin nodded.

"I can't wait!" Michimiya gleamed at Karin's response and she handed a piece of paper to Karin. "We just need to have these permission slips signed by our parents."

Karin could feel her heart drop to her stomach.

She took the paper from Michimiya, mumbled something, and walked away. Michimiya was used to Karin's taciturn nature by now, so she didn't think too much into it.

* * *

"Training camp?!"

On their usual walk home from school, Karin decided to ask Azumane about volleyball training camp since he must have had experience with them. And judging by the way he instantly perked up at the mention of training camp, you would think that it was even more fun than playing an official game.

"The Boys Volleyball Club is also doing training camp during Golden Week!" He said excitedly. "It's great! You spend the whole week with your teammates practicing, and you get to have practice matches with another school. I think you'll gain a lot from the training camp!"

"I see…" Karin muttered, trying to picture what the training camp would be like. "I've never been on an overnight trip with friends…"

Azumane looked toward Karin. Under the passing street lamps he could see a hint of eagerness on her face. Before he knew it, he was smiling.

"I-I mean, teammates," Karin corrected herself. "Er… actually I'm not even a regular. Club mates then?"

Azumane started to chuckle. He had never seen Karin flustered before in all the years he's known her. Karin turned her head away from Azumane.

When Karin arrived at home, her father coincidentally just got home as well. Normally, Karin would try to avoid seeing her father in the living room, but for the sake of the training camp, she voluntarily walked into the living room while his father was watching TV.

"I'm home," said Karin barely audibly. It's been a while since she said those words.

Mr. Oniwa, slightly startled, turned his attention away from the TV.

"You're home late. And what are you wearing? Where's your uniform? Don't tell me you skipped school?" Mr. Oniwa asked, each question more harshly than the previous.

Karin was wearing her tracksuit over her T-shirt and volleyball shorts after practice. Her uniform was neatly folded in her duffle bag.

"I just came from the volleyball club," she answered shortly.

"Volleyball?" Mr. Oniwa repeated the word with a raised voice, as if the sport was actually witchcraft. "Since when did you play volleyball?"

"Since last month."

"You really think your grades are good enough to afford more distractions?" Mr. Oniwa put the TV on mute and asked Karin sternly.

"I'm not failing any classes."

Mr. Oniwa raises an eyebrow. "You think your sister got into Tokyo Medical University with 'passing' as her standard?"

Karin kept her stony expression unchanged, but her eyes darkened. "That's what Nee-san wanted and she worked hard for it, but that's not what I want."

"Oho? Tell me what you want then."

Karin took out a piece of paper from her backpack and handed it to her father. Mr. Oniwa frowned as he read the paper.

"Training camp permission slip?" Mr. Oniwa said it like it was the most ridiculous thing he's seen.

He handed it right back to Karin.

"No."

"Why not?"

"I already signed you up for cram school for the duration of Golden Week," said Mr. Oniwa. "It's for your own good."

"You don't know what's good for me."

"I know it's better than picking fights with delinquents!"

Karin was unfazed by her father's reprimanding voice, but she felt a fire inside her that prevented her from talking back.

"I don't care if you're in the volleyball club or whatever, but you should not waste unnecessary time on it," Mr. Oniwa continued, seeing that Karin was not replying. "You're already in your second year of high school. It's not like you can get a scholarship for sports at this point."

"I'm not in it to get a scholarship."

"See? You're not even serious about it yourself."

Karin frowned. "I'm not going to cram school."

"What?" Mr. Oniwa growled, standing up from the couch now.

"Even if I can't go to the training camp, you can't force me to go to cram school."

"Why, you little—!" Me. Oniwa bellowed, pushing himself up from the couch. "Can't you see I'm trying to help you?! How much time have you wasted slacking off?! You have no direction in life, so the least you should do is prepare for college!"

"I don't want your help!" Karin raised her voice as well. "Isn't it enough that Nee-san is fulfilling mom's dream of becoming a doctor? Why not just leave me alone like usual!"

Mr. Oniwa's face twisted in anger. "Don't bring up your mom!"

"I'm the reason why mom died before finishing medical school, right? That's why you resent me! Now that Nee-san is gone, you're trying to set me on the right path? It's too late!" Karin began to yell.

"Don't turn this around on me!"

"You can't tell me what to do!"

Karin stormed off upstairs with that last exclamation. She ignored whatever her father was yelling after that and locked her bedroom room after getting in. Feeling drained by all that shouting, she slid down onto the floor against the door. A thousand thoughts ran through her head, and she didn't know what to do.

She took out her cell phone from her pocket and went through her contact list. Her thumb stopped at her sister's name.

Then she put her phone away, not wanting to bother her sister while she's busy in school.

It was fine. She had expected this to happen.

* * *

It was Friday before the start of Golden Week holiday. Karin had to break the news to Michimiya at morning practice that she couldn't get her permission slip signed. Michimiya turned out to be more disappointed than Karin about that turnout. However, there wasn't anything she could do.

"Well, if your dad doesn't sign the permission slip, then that's that…" Michimiya said with slumped shoulders. "Too bad… I was really looking forward to it."

"Maybe it's better this way," said Karin cavalierly. "You've been taking a lot of your training time to teach me volleyball. You'll get to work on yourself more without me at training camp."

Michimiya frowned at Karin. "Karin-chan, maybe you don't understand since you haven't played in a real game, but volleyball is a team sport. Everybody in the club, even the ones on the bench, is a strength to be depended on. You've been improving a lot and your presence has given the other girls more motivation to train harder."

Karin's lips tightened into a straight line and her brows furrowed. Michimiya realized that her encouragement for Karin may actually be burdensome for Karin. Her unsigned permission slip was an unchangeable fact.

"I'm sorry…" Michimiya said softly.

"Don't be," Karin said. "Also, if anyone asks, can you not tell them about this?"

Michimiya knew that by anyone, Karin was talking about Azumane Asahi.

As soon as the first class started, Karin started thinking of ways to avoid her childhood friend.

Although it sounded bizarre, Karin didn't want Azumane to know that she wasn't going to the training camp. She couldn't take another person feeling disappointed over her loss of opportunity. Even though Azumane knew about her relationship with her father, she found no merit in giving him something to worry about right before he went on the boys training camp.

When it was near lunchtime, Karin raised her hand and told the teacher that she wasn't feeling well. The teacher excused her to the school infirmary.

Azumane sent her a concerned look, but Karin just mouthed to him, 'sleepy', before she excused herself.

As Karin wondered if she could pull off spending the rest of the day inside the infirmary, she spotted Nishinoya Yuu also heading for the infirmary from the other side of the hallway. The boy noticed her as well.

"Oh! Demon-senpai! What brings you here? Are you hurt?"

"Er…" Karin faltered at the first year's fiery curiosity. "No, I just wanted to take a nap."

"Oh~" Nishinoya sent her a knowing look and peeked into the infirmary, and then said loudly, "The school nurse is not here. You're in luck!"

"Okay, okay, just get inside!" Karin pushed Nishinoya inside the infirmary.

Once inside the infirmary, Karin sat down on one of the beds, but she felt a little awkward to lie down and go to sleep while Nishinoya was rummaging through the cabinets. She watched as Nishinoya took a bottle of iodine to the bed opposite of her and sat down. He rolled up the legs of his uniform pants to reveal scuffed up knees. Karin took a closer look and noticed a lot of bumps and bruises on his arms and legs. They were all proof of his hard work in volleyball practice.

Then, her heart almost jumped out at the sight of Nishinoya trying to pour the iodine directly from the bottle onto his wound.

"Stop!" Karin darted from her bed to his side and snatched the iodine bottle. She went to the cabinet to grab some cotton swabs and knelt down in front of Nishinoya.

"No, Demon-senpai! I can do it myself!" Nishinoya protested.

"Just sit tight," said Karin firmly as she dabbed some iodine onto the cotton swab.

"Fine. I just don't want Asahi-san to get jealo—GAHH!"

Karin dead-eyed Nishinoya as she jabbed the cotton swab onto his knee wound, causing him to yelp in pain.

"Asahi is not like that."

"Y-you're right. Asahi-san is a gentle giant unlike—" Nishinoya shut his mouth in time this time as Karin dabbed the iodine onto a clean cotton swab for his other knee.

Karin patched up his knees with large bandaids and deemed her job finished. "Maybe you should take it easy with the training."

"No way! These are nothing!" Nishinoya jumped up from the bed and held a fist up to the ceiling. "I'm going to dig up every ball that comes to Karasuno's side so Asahi-san can always spike without worries!"

"What's with that shounen manga sentiment?" Karin muttered. "So Asahi is a worry wart even on the volleyball court, too."

"Do you know about that, too?" Nishinoya stirred at Karin's mention of Asahi. "Suga-san said he carries a lot on his shoulder, being an Ace and all."

"I can see that. Asahi has been like that since we were kids," Karin said and her face softened. "He puts his whole heart into people and things he cares about, even though his heart is so fragile."

Nishinoya blinked as he listened to Karin.

"But I'm glad Asahi has reliable guys like you to help him shine," Karin said. A small smile slipped from her lips.

"Demon-senpai…" Nishinoya muttered. "So you really do like Asahi-sa—"

"Would you like to take an eternal nap in this infirmary?"

"Good day, Demon-senpai!" Nishinoya bolted out of the infirmary.

Karin let out a sigh as she sat back down on the infirmary bed. She stared up at the white ceiling in deep thought. Her plan for a nap was completely ruined.

That idiot of a freshman; of course she liked Azumane Asahi.

She loved him more than anything or anyone.

* * *

The long awaited Golden Week had arrived and Karasuno's Boys Volleyball Club was so excited for their training camp that everyone was on time for once. The training camp for the boys was only an hour drive from Karasuno High School. It was not quite long enough for the excited boys to take naps during the ride.

"Hey, Asahi! Oniwa-san and the Girls Volleyball Club are also going to training camp this week, right?" Sugawara leaned over towards Azumane to talk to him.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, that's right." Azumane said, recalling his and Karin's conversation earlier that week.

"I heard that their opponent for the practice game is Toranomori High School," Sawamura joined in on the talk. "Their girls volleyball team is top 5 in Miyagi."

"Heh? That's super strong, then?" exclaimed Tanaka from the back of the bus.

"You should call her and wish her good luck, Asahi-san!" Nishinoya popped up from the seat behind Azumane, startling the tall boy.

"Eh? What?" Azumane looked at his younger teammate confusedly. "Shouldn't Daichi do that since he's friends with Michimiya…?"

"I meant Demon-senpai!" Nishinoya exclaimed. "Why are you so dense, Asahi-san!"

Azumane felt attacked. He was only minding his own business a few minutes ago, and now all of a sudden he's 'dense' and his teammates were staring at him, waiting for him to call his childhood friend. Azumane looked over to Sugawara, hoping that he'd say something to help him out of this situation, but the gray haired boy only smiled brightly at him. Azumane felt a coldness run down his spine.

"B-but Karin just started playing volleyball," Azumane stuttered. "She probably won't play in that practice match."

"You don't know that for sure," said Sawamura. "Michimiya said that Oniwa's jump serve is getting better and better."

"Come on, Asahi-san!" Nishinoya urged the team's Ace. "Grow some backbone!"

"What does this have to do with having backbone?" Azumane complained as his cheeks began to turn red. Unable to withstand the incessant attacks, Azumane finally reached for his cellphone.

He scrolled down his contact list to find Karin's name. When he pressed it, the screen showed the history of his missed calls with Karin. The one time that she picked up the phone was an accident on her part, too. Suddenly, he really did feel his backbone disintegrate.

"Maybe just text—"

"Good grief, just call her already!" Captain Kurokawa barked from a couple of rows away.

"Y-yes, captain!" Azumane immediately pressed the call button upon his captain's order.

The calling tone rang on next to Azumane's ear. His heartbeat was as fast as the time when he was out looking for Karin during the night. After a few seconds of ringing, the call went to voicemail. Azumane felt both relief and disappointment at the same time.

"H-hi, Karin!" he began to speak after he heard the beep for Karin's voicemail box. "You must be on your way to training camp too. I-I hope you, uh, you guys all get there safely! I heard that you guys are playing against Toranomori High School. It'd be great if you get to play! Um… don't think too much about winning or losing. It's the experience that counts! So… um…"

Azumane felt himself getting warmer as he talked and noticed how dry his throat felt. He swallowed hard and tried to ignore his rising body temperature.

"...Do your best, Karin!"

Nishinoya grinned to himself in the seat behind Azumane. Now he didn't owe Demon-senpai for patching up his knees anymore.

* * *

To be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a hard chapter to write... Writing conflict is really my worst nightmare, but hopefully I did all right. Also, it just had to be Nishinoya who stirred the pot, hehe!


	7. The Jump Serve Incident

_"Do your best, Karin!"_

_"Do your best, Karin!"_

_"Do your best, Karin!"_

_"Do your best, Ka-"_

Karin tapped her cell phone to silence it while her eyes were still half closed. When Golden Week started, Azumane had called her early in the morning to cheer her on for the training camp. She had slept through that call, but when she listened to the voicemail Azumane left her, she felt so happy that she nearly shed a tear. She must have listened to that voicemail over and over at least ten times. In the end, she recorded the last part of his message and set it as her alarm tone.

It was Sunday morning, the last day of Golden Week holidays. Karin got dressed in a yellow blouse and light blue jeans with the ankles rolled up. She had somehow convinced Ukai Keishin to let her work part time at the Sakanoshita Store for the duration of Golden Week. She'd much rather count boxes and restock shelves at the store than go to the cram school her father signed her up for.

As she passed by the living room to get to the foyer, she glanced at the trashcan where the ripped up cram school application sat on top of the overflow. Underneath it was probably the training camp permission slip that received the same fate. Thinking that she'd take out the trash later tonight, she slipped into her white sneakers and left the house.

Since it was Golden Week, there were a lot more people out and about. Many families had picnics in the park and couples were out on dates. The Sakanoshita Store had a lot more foot traffic than usual, so Ukai was actually a little bit glad that she had Karin's help.

"Thank you. Come again," Karin said as she handed a young man his change and his purchases in a plastic bag.

"Couldn't you say that with a little more energy?" Ukai grumbled from the grocery aisles where he was unloading bottles of water. "You're gonna drive away customers."

"Your cigarette smoke is already doing that," said Karin without looking away from the register.

"Don't you think a week's worth of bickering is enough?"

"Actually, it makes this boring job more bearable," Karin said and looked over towards Ukai. "I never asked why you decided to take over the store from your mom."

"Well, somebody had to, and I'm the only son," Ukai said matter-of-factly.

"You didn't _have_ to if you didn't want to."

"Who said I didn't want to?" Ukai said. "In case your sister hadn't told you before, I had really bad grades in high school. I had to cram so much just to stay in the volleyball club. Of course, I didn't end up going to college, and having watched my mom work here all my life, this sort of work just made sense to me."

Karin stared at Ukai for a while, and then muttered, "What a realistic and boring turn of events."

"Hey, I happen to enjoy the boredom," Ukai grumbled again. "What about you? You'll be in your third year next year, right? Planning to go to college?"

"Who knows? College is probably out of the question. I don't even have a tenth of my sister's intelligence," Karin shrugged at the thought of her future. "If I worked here long enough, would I eventually earn the ownership of this store?"

"Ha! Is that even a question?" Ukai snorted out a laugh. "The store will obviously be passed down to my kids!"

Karin raised an eyebrow at the twenty-six year old bachelor.

"Now that would be an unrealistic turn of events."

"Watch it, you brat."

* * *

The day went by in a flash. The sun was beginning to set and Karin was sweeping the floor inside the store. The bells attached to the front door jingled and several boyish voices entered the store all at once.

"Oh! Demon-senpai!"

Karin flinched at the sound of a voice she'd become familiar with recently. She turned around to see not just Nishinoya, but the whole meat bun gang. Her eyes immediately darted to Azumane, who looked just as surprised as she did.

"Karin?" Azumane called out her name. "You're already back from training camp?"

"Um…"

Just as Karin was having trouble coming up with an excuse, Ukai stumped into the store from the storage room, yelling for the boys to stop being noisy. The boys came to the store to get meat buns to reward themselves for the hard work they've done over Golden Week. Karin was glad that Ukai was the cranky person that he was, telling the boys to be quiet and get their meat buns and go home. But as the boys left the store after buying the meat buns, Karin was already expecting one of them to be sticking around.

"What are you still doing here?!" Ukai growled at the tall, fidgety boy.

Azumane flinched at Ukai's rough voice. He put up both hands in front of him as if he was getting robbed by some thug.

"No-I-I-Karin… it's getting dark, so-so-I… her…"

Ukai looked at Azumane with raised eyebrows. He thought the boy was pathetic for stuttering so much with his appearance. But he more or less understood what the boy was trying to say.

"You're done here," Ukai said to Karin.

Karin bit her lips. She knew she wasn't going to be able to avoid Azumane any longer. She took off her apron and hung it behind the counter before leaving with Azumane.

It didn't take long from the moment they stepped out of the store for Azumane to begin his questioning.

"How come you're working at Sakanoshita?"

"I've been working there all week."

"What about training camp?"

Karin stared at the little flowers blooming by the sidewalk as they walked along.

"My dad didn't sign the permission slip so I didn't go."

Azumane didn't know whether to be relieved or feel bad for her. For a second, he thought she'd got into trouble with delinquents again. If her dad refused to sign the permission slip, then there really was nothing she could do. Azumane has known for a long time about Mr. Oniwa's firm ideals about his daughters' schoolwork. He just couldn't fathom why Karin didn't just tell him the truth.

"It's too bad, but why did you lie about it?" Azumane asked.

"I don't know. I guess I didn't want to see yet another person disappointed by me."

Her dad. Michimiya. And herself.

"I couldn't be disappointed by you," Azumane said with a rare seriousness. "You work really hard everyday. Even if you couldn't go to training camp, you showed up at every practice at school, and I know you'll keep going when school starts again tomorrow, right?"

Karin wanted to turn and look at Azumane, but she didn't have the courage to at that moment. She was afraid that she might cry.

"Ah-I'm sorry! Did I cross a line?" Azumane asked nervously when he noticed how quiet Karin was being.

"No, Asahi, it's okay," Karin said, her voice shaky. "It's just that sometimes… I feel so much like a piece of mold."

* * *

Months have passed since Golden Week. Karin has gone back to volleyball practice regularly just like Azumane said. The girls volleyball club has been in high spirits due to winning their practice match during Golden Week, and the girls have kept themselves motivated all the way until the Regional Qualifiers for InterHigh rolled around the corner. Karin, while not part of the regulars, have also been infected by their high spirits and have practiced harder than ever.

Karasuno's girls volleyball team had their semi-final Regionals match against Shiogama high school on a Thursday in August. Karin sat on the bench with other bench warmers on Karasuno's side of the court. It was Karin's first time inside a sports stadium, and while it was just a small regional stadium, it was enough to shake her nerves.

It was a close game. The two scored one after the other, and it came down to the third set to determine the winner. It was more exciting than any TV dramas Karin had ever watched and each time Karasuno scored, she wanted to text Azumane about it. But she'd stop herself immediately, knowing that he was also playing in official matches and was not a bench warmer like her.

"Oniwa-kun!"

The coach's voice startled Karin as she was deeply concentrated in watching the game. She looked over to see the coach's grave expression.

"Go warm up, over there."

Karin's heart nearly stopped when she heard the coach's order. If she was being told to warm up, that meant that she might be sent onto the court soon. She didn't think she would be asked to play at all, and she wasn't sure if she was ready. One of the other bench warmers, Tachibana Sayuri, noticed Karin's nervous tremble and offered to help her warm up.

"You might be subbed in, Karin-chan! Are you nervous?" Tachibana asked, though she already knew Karin's answer.

"This might be the most nervous I've ever been," Karin said honestly.

"The coach will probably sub you in to serve at match point. The girls are tired and if you can win the set with a service ace, that would be the best scenario."

"Th-thanks for the pressure…"

"Hehe, I think you're the kind that performs well under pressure!" Tachibana grinned at Karin. "If you're afraid of serving the ball out of bounds, just aim for the other team's players! With your power, I doubt the other team will be able to receive it."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Karin asked. "What if I mess up?"

"What if you make the winning serve? You didn't join the club just to sit on a bench, did you?"

Karin gulped at Tachibana's question. She recalled joining the volleyball club because of Michimiya's insistence and Azumane's encouragement. She didn't think about it much since it was just another club activity to pass time with like the calligraphy club. But she was much better at volleyball than she was at calligraphy, and in turn she built much better rapport with the girls in the volleyball club. She wouldn't admit it out loud, but the real reason why she stayed in the club for so long was that she liked her new friends who helped her grow to like volleyball. And even though she had never played in an official game before, she loved when Karasuno would win. She felt like she was part of something.

And if it took a couple of jump serves to help her team win, she was going to give them the best serves of her life.

The game has come to a match point. Like Tachibana predicted, the coach subbed Karin into the game to serve. Karin walked stiffly onto the court. She was so nervous that all she could hear was white noise even though her teammates were cheering her on.

"Aim at the opponent… aim at the opponent…" Karin chanted under her breath as she looked through the net, and the opposing teams were like blurs to her.

Then, her eyes zeroed in on a girl in the back row of the opposing team. It was a girl with highlighted hair. Karin immediately thought about the delinquents that threatened her about trashing the Sakanoshita Store. In an instant, Karin saw all the delinquents she'd ever get into a fight with standing in position on the other side of the net. Her eyes grew sharp and darkened. Her teammates in the front row can feel an evil aura on their backs.

"Eradicate the mold… eradicate the mold…" Karin's chant changed and without any more hesitation, Karin tossed the ball into the air.

Karin had been practicing the jump serve with Michimiya everyday in and outside of practice for months. It had gotten to a point where the entire set of motions was muscle memory to her. She leapt into the air and raised her right arm. She glanced briefly at Highlights No. 2 and hit the ball right in the center of her palm.

The ball jetted towards the girl with highlights, who almost didn't react fast enough to receive it. A second later and the ball would have hit her face. And after she'd made contact with the ball with her forearms, she thanked heaven that it did not hit her face. The ball bounced off of her arms and towards her back so fast that no one could save it.

And it was over.

Everyone on both teams were silent at first with their eyes and mouths wide open. The first to speak was the girl with highlights.

"Wh-what the heck was that?" The girls' voice was shaky and nasally. If one looked closer, she'd had tears welling up in her eyes. "That hurt so much that I can't feel my arms anymore."

In a second her teammates surrounded her. They asked if she was okay and exclaimed how the sound of that serve was so loud that they thought something had broken. The girl with highlights was full on crying now. And while Karin felt a little bad, she joined in her team's victorious cheers and high-fiving.

"That was amazing, Karin-chan!" Michimiya grabbed Karin's shoulders, her cheeks flushed and covered in sweat from playing in all three sets.

"Y-you're the amazing one, Yui-san!" Karin managed to say while still in awe of what happened.

"Nonsense!" Michimiya exclaimed. "Look how much you scared them!"

"...Is that really a good thing?"

"Of course! Let's keep winning so all of Miyagi will know the fearsome volleyball player in Karasuno: Karin the Demon!"

A deep red splashed across Karin's cheeks. That was the first that she didn't feel annoyed or embarrassed by that nickname. In fact, she even kind of liked it. With all the adrenaline still running through her veins, she ran to the bench and dug into her duffel bag for her phone. She had to text Azumane right away. She had never felt so happy.

[We won in the semifinals! I got to do a jump serve!]

[How was your game?]

"Come on, Karin! We're leaving! The next team is already here!"

At the captain's calling, Karin threw her phone back into her duffel bag and slung it onto her shoulder. She left with her teammates to celebrate their win with ice cream, and didn't check her phone until she got home that evening.

But even after waiting past midnight, she never got a text back from Azumane.

* * *

To be continued.


	8. The New Years Incident

It has been a long time since Karin last saw Azumane Asahi outside of their classroom, much less walking to and from school together.

On the morning after the Girls Volleyball Club's victory in the InterHigh semifinals, Karin waited for Azumane to walk to school together for morning practice. That in itself was already a bit strange, because it was usually Azumane who had to wait for Karin. After ten minutes of waiting, Karin rang the doorbell for the third time. His mother was the one who greeted her through the intercom.

"Asahi is not feeling well today, so he's staying home."

Karin didn't question Mrs. Azumane and went to school on her own. It wasn't until she got to morning practice did she find out from Michimiya that the Boys Volleyball Club lost to Date Tech on the same day as the girls' win. It was a blow out game too. The boys' coach decided to give the boys a break from practice to sort out their feelings.

Karin didn't think too much into it at the time. Azumane was a second year; he still had a lot more chances to play ahead of him. But if she had watched the game, she would have found out that Azumane was powerless against Date Tech's iron wall. Their team depended so much on him, but he couldn't score points for them at all. If she had seen that match, she would have seen his glass heart shatter. Then she wouldn't have to find out from Sugawara that Azumane had quit the volleyball club.

Even the calm Sugawara raised his voice at Azumane while in their classroom, trying to convince Azumane to return to the club. Karin watched the whole thing happen. She could tell from Azumane's eyes that he wasn't listening to Sugawara's pleas no matter how loudly the boy was talking.

On one occasion, even Sawamura came to ask Karin to talk to Azumane. Sawamura had taken over the captain's position since the retirement of Kurokawa after InterHigh. He felt that the Ace's presence was detrimental to the team, and they wouldn't likely see success next year if Azumane didn't return. Karin didn't have the heart to say no to Sawamura, even though she knew that her attempt would be futile.

"I'm sorry, Karin. I don't like volleyball anymore."

That was Azumane's response to Karin.

Karin was hurt. It hurt to listen to the hurt in Azumane's voice. She understood the bitter feeling of losing; the Girls Volleyball Club eventually lost at the InterHigh finals. But for Azumane to say that he didn't like volleyball anymore was a big jab at her heart. The pressure must have been building up inside for so long that it finally wore him down, and he had to use such a harsh excuse to get over the pain.

Karin knew that feeling well, too.

"You don't need to say sorry to me, Asahi," she had said to Azumane.

For the remainder of their second year, Karin continued going to volleyball practice. Michimiya stepped in as captain after InterHigh. With many third year players quitting the club to prepare for college entrance exams, Karin and Michimiya practiced extra hard in hopes of getting further in the tournaments next year. The Boys Volleyball Cub, on the other hand, dwindled down in activity without a coach, an Ace, and many of the third-years.

With Karin busy practicing volleyball and Azumane quitting club activity, the two of them went back to how they were at the beginning of the school year, each having separate lives.

And so, their year ended the same way it started.

* * *

"Shouldn't you be at home with your family on New Years Eve?"

Karin looked up from her magazine while sitting behind the counter at Sakanoshita Store; Ukai was standing on the other side of the counter, looking down at her with his usual frown. She was off school on winter break and there was no volleyball practice during the holidays, so she decided to help out at her favorite store once again. Ukai, of course, agreed very reluctantly for her to work there, but Karin was willing to work for next to nothing and the New Years holiday was a busy time.

"Is that a roundabout way of checking if Nee-san is back in town?" Karin asked in return.

Ukai always regretted starting a conversation with Karin, but he never learned his lesson.

"Contrary to your belief, I'm not constantly thinking about your sister."

"How do you explain the cigarettes, then?"

"Don't try to read into everything I do."

Karin took a long look at Ukai. "You didn't start smoking until Nee-san moved away and you smoke the same kind as her."

"It's menthol. A lot of people smoke this."

"If you say so," Karin turned her attention back to the magazine. "For your information, Nee-san is too busy with school to come back home this year."

"I don't care about that," said Ukai, "What I care about is you slacking off during work hours."

"No one's come in today since it's snowing."

"There's still something you can-"

The door opened with a jingle. Both Ukai and Karin looked over to see Azumane Asahi hobble into the store in a thick coat and scarf. The top of his head and shoulders were lightly dusted with snow, and his nose was slightly red from the cold. He seemed to be surprised to see Karin there behind the counter, and just stood by the door without moving further inside. Karin was also surprised to see Azumane there, and she also stared at him without moving.

Ukai glanced at the two teenagers back and forth and narrowed his eyes. His store was not a place for high school drama.

"Oy! Close the door; it's freezing!" Ukai barked at Azumane. "Or if you're not buying something, get out!"

"Ah! Uh, sorry!" Azumane hurriedly stepped inside and pulled the door closed. "M-my mom sent me here for some mochi… for New Years…"

"Aisle 4, and I didn't need to know what you need it for," Ukai said.

"S-sorry!"

Azumane scurried over to aisle 4 to find the mochi. Karin watched him the whole time. It was when Azumane came to the counter with a package of mochi that it dawned upon her.

"Asahi, what are you doing tomorrow?" Karin blurted out as Azumane stood in front of her.

"Eh?" Azumane was taken back by her sudden question, so it took him a second to answer. "I haven't really made plans. My parents might want to go to a shrine…"

"Want to go with me?"

"Eh?"

"A shrine," Karin said further. "Want to ring in the new year together?"

"Oh! Ah… um…" Azumane's cheeks turned a little red as he felt panicky from the girl's invitation. "Y-yeah, let's! I'll tell my parents."

Karin smiled at this. "Ok, it's a date then."

Azumane's face was deep red in an instant. Even his ears were red at this point. He wondered if Karin meant it for real or she was just teasing him. Either way, he couldn't say anything back to her because his heart was racing too fast at the thought that the date could be real.

Karin put the packaged mochi into a small plastic bag and handed it over to Azumane.

"See you tomorrow," she said.

Azumane mumbled something quickly and headed out of the store.

Ukai looked at Karin with narrowed eyes, who casually sat back down behind the counter. He watched as she pulled out her cell phone and started typing profusely. He let out a loud sigh theatrically.

"Ah~ to be young again," he sneered.

Karin barely heard Ukai's teasing words as her mind was completely occupied by the date tomorrow. She even smiled to herself a little as she texted her sister, asking to borrow her old kimono. She may have seemed calm while asking Azumane out, but her ears under her long hair were burning like fire.

* * *

On New Year's Day, Azumane waited for Karin in front of a local shrine not too far away from Karasuno High School. While it was a smaller shrine than some of the popular ones closer to Sendai, it was still considerably crowded. Azumane waited besides the Torii gate at the shrine's main entrance, swaying a bit amongst the crowd, hoping that Karin could find him. He didn't realize that with his height, it was very easy to spot him.

Alternately, it was easy for him to spot Karin from his height, too. He waved at the girl who emerged from below the shrine's steps and promptly waved back at him. He felt his face warm up at the sight of her even in snowy January.

Karin was wearing a red kimono with golden floral prints and a white fluffy scarf around her shoulders, and she held a large tote bag with her. Azumane always thought that Karin had a more traditional beauty with her jet black hair and slightly slanted eyes. Now that he'd seen it, he believed that Karin was born to wear a kimono.

"Sorry! Have you been waiting long?" Karin asked as she stepped in front of him.

"N-no," Azumane said. "You look… nice in that kimono…"

"Thanks, Asahi," Karin said with a soft smile. She would never mention that she was late because she had trouble getting into the kimono. "It's a special occasion, so…"

"Ah, yes, Happy New Year, Karin!" Azumane said, finally smiling.

"Happy New Year!" Karin returned the same greeting and pulled on his arm. "It's crowded here. Let's not get separated."

"O-okay," Azumane nodded and let himself get pulled inside the shrine.

The two of them spent the morning just like a couple would. They prayed together for a good year ahead and tossed coins into the offering box. They shared a cup of stewed red beans that were being sold at a stand by the shrine. Then, they bought Omikuji at the shrine's vendor to see their fortune for the year.

"Daikichi?!" Karin exclaimed when she peeked at Azumane's paper. "That's the highest level of good luck! That's great!"

"Heh… you think so?" Azumane couldn't help but feel a little glad at his fortune. "What about you, Karin?"

"Let's see…" Karin unfolded her Omikuji and froze when she saw the word 'Kyo' on it, which meant a bad fortune.

Azumane took her paper and froze as well when he saw her result. He gave her a troubled smile and joked lightheartedly, "It seems like you and I accidentally switched our fortunes, haha."

Karin's expression changed at this. "Why do you say that?"

"Eh? Uh… because…" Azumane was flustered at Karin's question.

"You think you should have gotten 'Kyo' because of what happened with you and the volleyball club?"

Azumane faltered a little, but didn't deny Karin's accusation. Yes, he was still bothered by his loss against Date Tech. Yes, he still felt guilty towards his team for causing them to lose their chance at Nationals. Yes, he felt so pathetic that he didn't even deserve to get a good fortune from a 200 yen piece of paper.

"You know, there are two reasons why I like New Year's Day," said Karin as she took back her fortune from Azumane and tied the paper onto the Musubidokoro to cast away her bad fortune. "One is that it doesn't just signify a new start. It also signifies a second chance."

Azumane frowned at Karin. He appreciated her for trying to cheer him up about volleyball, but he already decided that he was done with it.

"And I'll show you the second reason in a little while," Karin smiled at Azumane a little teasingly and grabbed hold of his arm again. "Come with me!"

So for the second time that day, Azumane got pulled around by Karin. Unsure if Karin got stronger ever since she started playing sports, but Azumane felt as if his arm would get torn off from his shoulder if he didn't keep up with her. He kept telling her to slow down because of the slippery snow on the sides of the streets, but she didn't listen. The run felt thrilling each time Azumane nearly slipped on ice, until Karin stopped at a small playground.

"This is…" Azumane muttered as he looked around him.

"Remember we used to play here when we were little?" Karin asked, letting go of Azumane's arm.

"Yeah," a smile rose up to Azumane's lips. "I wonder why we stopped coming…"

"You were being picked on by other kids, so I kicked their butts," Karin recalled. "We got in trouble with their moms. Your mom and my sister apologized and never brought us back again."

"Ah… I remember now…"

"Anyway, we're not here to reminisce. I just wanted to come to a less crowded place," said Karin as she reached into her large tote bag. She took out a brand new volleyball and handed it to Azumane.

"Happy birthday, Asahi."

Azumane was overwhelmed by a mixture of emotions. He was happy that Karin remembered his birthday; not many people did since it was the most important holiday in the year. He was also happy that Karin even got him a gift, but the gift itself brought back the pressure that he'd been feeling since the match with Date Tech.

"Thank you, Karin, but…" Azumane spoke with unease. "I don't play volleyball anymore."

"That's not for you to play with."

"Huh?"

"Turn it around."

Azumane turned the volleyball over to the other side. There were words written with a black sharpie that said 'Karin the Demon' and an autograph next to it.

"Haven't you heard of the famous 'Karin the Demon' from Karasuno High's Girls Volleyball Club?" Karin winked at Azumane playfully. "That ball is going to be valuable once the girls take over Nationals next year!"

Azumane couldn't help but chuckle. "I'm glad you're having fun with volleyball, Karin!"

"Thanks to you, Asahi," said Karin softly. "I'm not going to try to convince you to return to the volleyball club, but I think you should know that I wouldn't have played volleyball if it weren't for you. And I wouldn't have real friends like Yui-san if it weren't for you."

Something stirred inside Azumane, though he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad feeling. He couldn't respond to Karin, so he only murmured her name.

"I'm really happy," Karin smiled at him. "So I hope you find the same happiness back this year, whether it's in volleyball or elsewhere!"

Azumane was sure that his face was bright red now. There was an unfamiliar feeling in his chest that he couldn't find words to describe. And as he stared at Karin's smile, all he could think of was how pretty she was, and all he could hear inside his brain was Nishinoya's voice echoing 'Why are you so dense, Asahi-san!'

Perhaps, he was falling for the girl in front of him. The girl who was always watching him.

* * *

To be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Counting down to the finale!


	9. The Raid Incident

"Do your best, Karin!"

"Do your best, Karin!"

"Do your best, Ka-"

Tapping her phone to turn off the alarm, Karin rolled out of bed groggily. She should have gotten used to waking up early by now, but it turned out that she might never get used to it. She quickly washed up and left the house after putting on her tracksuit.

The start of a high school student's third year was always both exciting and bittersweet. Karin did not expect herself to have those feelings towards school by this time when she started as a freshman. She never would have thought she'd be excited to return to the Girls Volleyball Club with aspirations to compete in Nationals. She never thought she'd be sad about it being her last high school year, because she finally had real friends. For Karin, the start of third year could not be any better, except for one thing. Azumane was not completely out of his slump yet.

In the new school year, Karin and Azumane were assigned to different classes. While the two classrooms were only one hallway apart, Karin rarely had time to spend with Azumane due to her being busy with volleyball practice. Needless to say, she worried about him quite frequently.

One day during lunch break, she decided to drop by Azumane's classroom for a chance to at least say hello, if not have lunch together. As she turned around the corner to get to Azumane's classroom, she halted to a stop when she saw Azumane standing at the entrance, his way blocked by two boys she hadn't seen before. One of them was very tall and the other was short. The shorter one seemed nervous, so Karin assumed that the two were freshmen.

They were talking about something, then suddenly the shorter freshman started shouting.

"Asahi-san! Without you there, all the second and third year senpai look super bummed! And Noya-senpai won't play in a practice game if you aren't there!"

The boy's shouting even startled Karin, who was a few feet away. For an unknown reason, she felt like she shouldn't eavesdrop on this conversation, but she was too curious. She stepped back around the corner and hid behind the wall.

"I'm sorry, you two."

Karin could hear from Azumane's voice that he was doing that sad smile again.

"All I can see when I think about volleyball now is a wall in front me. It's so tall and thick that I can't picture myself breaking through it."

"Sorry for being forward, but… I know how you feel!" the same voice that was shouting earlier responded to Azumane. "I'm really short and unskilled so I get blocked all the time. But with this guy setting for me, I can get past any blockers! And when I jump, the view of the other side of the net just opens wide up!"

Listening to the boy's description of his spiking, even Karin was feeling a little bit moved. The things he said about the feeling of the ball smacking into his palm resonated with her as well. Even if she was still a rookie, the feeling of hitting the ball to the ground on the other side of the net was exhilarating. And what she loved even more was the same exhilaration from her teammates when anyone scored a point or guarded their side of the court.

And if Azumane's passion for volleyball was once real, he must have been feeling ten folds of what Karin was feeling.

"Right now, I'm not strong enough to smash a ball against any blockers, but you can! That's why the senpai call you the Ace!"

"It's natural that you can't win a game on your own," an unfamiliar voice spoke up, which Karin assumed was the taller freshman. "I recently learned that that's why there are six people on the court."

Karin waited but there was no reply from Azumane. Her heart raced a little when the two freshmen passed by her on their way back to the freshmen classrooms. After that intense talk, Karin figured that Azumane probably needed time to think, so she quietly went back to her own classroom and ate rice balls for lunch.

That same afternoon, Karin was called to the teacher's office for required counseling. The homeroom teacher expressed that he had heard about Karin's past suspensions and was worried about her being in his class, but she turned out to be a regular student.

"I guess volleyball has been helping with my suppressed aggression," said Karin to the teacher sarcastically.

"Don't give me that attitude just yet," said the teacher. "Your grades are still terrible like the past two years. Have your teammates forgotten to inform you that you cannot participate in club activities if you don't have passing grades?"

Karin froze in her seat. The teacher let out a sigh at her reaction.

"I'm going to recommend the coach and your captain to cut down your practice hours so you can bring your grades up. Don't glare at me; I'm doing this for your own good."

As a result of the teacher's recommendation, which the sports clubs took very seriously, Karin was not allowed to participate in evening practice until she finished one extra hour of cramming after school, effective immediately. An hour off from practice everyday was not the worst thing that could happen, since Karin was not a starting regular. But if she couldn't participate in matches at all, then the team would lose out on their pinch server.

Reluctantly, Karin stayed after school for cramming as she was told. The empty classroom was painted in a burnt orange by the setting sun while Karin stared at math problems with bug eyes. She couldn't fathom ever using math in her adult life. Working at a small grocery store certainly did not make her want to pull her hair out.

She flipped to another page to try solving a different problem, but she couldn't concentrate with the hurried footsteps from the hallway. She looked up towards the open classroom door. A couple of students were passing by.

"Are there really delinquents crashing the Girls Volleyball Club?"

"That's why we're going to check it out!"

"What if it's true? I'm scared!"

Karin's heart pounded in her chest as she listened to the brief conversation between the students as they passed by her classroom. She stood up from her chair and began to get a cold sweat. As anxiety started to creep up her head, she searched for her cell phone. She tried calling Azumane in a frenzy, but there was no answer. Unable to sit still after hearing those two students, Karin bolted out of the classroom and headed for the gym.

"What the hell, Suda? I thought you said she's in the volleyball club?"

"I swear she is! She kept talking about it in that store!"

Michimiya's heart raced as she stood in front of the rest of the volleyball club members, facing five delinquents from another school. She didn't know what to do; their phones were all in the club room and the gym's door was blocked by the intruders. She didn't know what they wanted, but the situation surely did not look good.

"Hey, you," the tallest and biggest of the bunch pointed his chin at Michimiya. "Where's Oniwa Karin?"

A few of the girls gasped behind Michimiya and the latter stiffened at Karin's name.

"Looks like you were right, Suda," the delinquent smirked at the girls' reactions.

"Karin is not at school!" Michimiya said out loud, trying to use volume to suppress her panic. "Please leave at once! We don't want any trouble!"

"Hmph, I like a polite woman, but you'll have to blame Oniwa for this," one of the skinnier delinquents stepped forward with a smug look. "She wasn't so polite when she gave me a black eye!"

"Yeah, ever since she broke my nose, I can't breathe as good as before!" another delinquent with a crooked nose added.

"We-we're sorry about the actions of one of our members, but she is not here now, so please leave!" Michimiya attempted again to drive the delinquents away.

The five delinquents only advanced into the gym even more. They held no regard to the fact they were facing girls. They had planned this raid for a long time now, having the one named Suda continuously visit the Sakanoshita Store to gather information on Oniwa Karin. The last time they tried to teach her a lesson at the bridge, a real gang member came to her aid. They needed a chance to get her alone. When Suda heard that she was in the girls volleyball club, that became the perfect chance for them.

"I think you're lying," Suda said, pointing a shaky finger at Michimiya. "I've seen you at that store with her! You said she's the secret weapon of the volleyball team. There's no way she'd miss practice if that's the case!"

"It's true!" one of the girls behind Michimiya yelled. "You won't find her here!"

"Shut up!" The leader of the thugs bellowed at the girl as he strutted towards her with his fist up in the air. "Little girls should not talk unless being asked!"

"S-Step back!" Michimiya shifted backwards and reached out her hands toward the guy's fist by instinct.

Slap!

Screech!

Bang!

Everything happened in an instant. The thug leader slapped away Michimiya's hands, and in the same motion, slapped her in the cheek. The force caused her to fall onto the gym floor, which screeched as loudly as the sound of the door swinging wide open. All of those who were in the gym looked towards the door, where Oniwa Karin stood with fire burning in her eyes.

"Ha! She is here!"

Karin could barely hear the words coming out of Highlights' mouth. Her gaze has not left the red mark on Michimiya's cheek. Michimiya, who was still on the floor, looked back at Karin with terrified and pleading eyes.

At that moment, Karin's mind was clear like spring water. Much like all the other times, she knew what she was getting into. She knew what kind of trouble she'd get into. She knew how much disappointment she'd get from the girls if she engaged with the delinquents. But she also knew that this all started because of her. And if she didn't put an end to it, who will? If she didn't take the fall, what would happen to the volleyball club?

"You guys sure did your research this time…" Karin's voice was dangerously low as she walked into the gym and closed the door behind her.

"Are you sure you want to close up your escape route, young lady?" the thug leader snickered.

"Moron, this is your escape route," Karin rolled up the sleeves of her uniform.

The leader, clearly displeased to be called a moron, swung his fist at Karin's face. Karin easily dodged his fist by lowering herself to the floor, and with a swipe of her leg, she brought the big guy crashing down. As his cronies ran over to back him up, Karin grabbed the big guy's shirt as she stood up and threw him at the others.

"What kind of freak..." the big guy murmured as he collided into his friends and they all fell to the floor.

"Not freak," Karin cracked her fists. "Demon."

It didn't take long for the fight to break out and end. Though, if anyone saw Karin fight before, they would know that it took her considerably longer to beat the guys. There were five of them, after all. The thug leader even brought a broken pipe as a weapon. The thing that the delinquents did not research enough was that not only could Karin hit hard, she could also take some hard hits.

Once Karin overpowered most of the guys, Michimiya ran over to the club room and called their teacher and ambulance. Karin suffered a head wound from the broken pipe, but it was a minor wound compared to the ones that the guys suffered. Even so, Karin was lucky not to be taken away by the police, as the girls from the volleyball club all came to her defense that the violence stemmed from self defense.

In the end, she was sent to the hospital right away. After getting three stitches somewhere above her hairline and bandages for other scrapes on her arms and legs from the brawl, she was given a temporary room and some painkillers. She didn't have enough time to think before she fell asleep.

Karin woke up around midnight to the sound of soft sobs. Her head was still foggy when she struggled to open her eyes. To the side of the hospital bed sat a man who was hunched over in his seat. His shoulders trembled each time he sobbed. Karin recognized the bald spot on the back of the man's head too well.

"...Dad?"

Mr. Oniwa's head snapped right up at Karin's voice. Karin winced inwardly as she saw her own father's deep red face covered in tears and snot. He breathed out her name as he eyed the bandages on her head and Karin could smell the alcohol from his breath.

"Karin!" He cried. "I've failed you as a parent, Karin…"

"You're drunk, dad."

"Yeah, I'm a useless drunk," Mr. Oniwa hung his head again. "If I were a better father, this would not have happened to you."

"You have nothing to do with how I turned out," Karin said coldly.

"I pushed you guys too hard… you and your sister," Mr. Oniwa continued to mutter in his drunken way. "Your mom passed away before she could finish medical school… I pushed you and sister so you can accomplish everything…"

Karin remained silent. Mr. Oniwa hadn't mentioned anything about her mother or her sister for years.

"I… I pushed so hard that your sister moved away. And soon… soon you'll be gone too…"

Karin let out a small sigh. Listening to her father yell at her was one thing, but listening to him bawl out like that was somehow more excruciating. Perhaps it was in the Oniwa genes to be pathetic.

"I'm not going anywhere, dad," Karin softened her tone at the crying mess that was her father. "I don't have college or anything else going for me next year."

Mr. Oniwa wailed louder. Karin was starting to find it a little funny.

"You didn't drive here, did you, dad?"

"Of course not. I rode the bike."

"That's equally dangerous."

Karin dug through her father's phone for a number of one of his coworkers at the construction company. An hour later, the big man came to her hospital room and slung her father's arm over his shoulder, apologized, and left. Karin stared at the door and decided that she'd rather be yelled at by her father than see that crying face again.

After taking a mental note to empty the fridge at home of all the beer, Karin drifted back to sleep.

To be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you thank you to everyone reading and left Kudos! As the fic is getting closer to the end, I wanted to give a little hint about a new fic that I am writing now... a spin-off of this fic centered on Karin's older sister! It'll, of course, be UkaiXOC. Anyway, thanks again for reading and see you next chap!


	10. The Marigold Incident

"You didn't have to come visit me; I'm getting released today."

Karin couldn't look straight into Michimiya Yui's eyes when the girls volleyball captain came to visit her in the hospital the day after the fight in the gym. She quickly dismissed the need for Michimiya to be there before the captain even stepped next to her bed. But just as the words left her mouth, she immediately regretted it.

"The homeroom teacher sent me here," Michimiya said in such an airy way that Karin couldn't tell the emotion behind it. "Just a little heads-up for your meeting with the Vice Principal tomorrow."

Fingers fastened on the hospital sheets, Karin finally looked up at Michimiya's face. The captain's face was serious, and Michimiya never put away her smile unless it was during a game.

"You'll be suspended from school for a month, so you don't need to bring your books or wear your uniform when you come tomorrow. You'll be responsible for studying for midterm exams on your own since exams will be right after your suspension. You'll also be banned from all club activities for the rest of the year."

Karin's heart sunk deeper and deeper at Michimiya's announcement, but she didn't let any of it show on her face. It wouldn't be her first suspension from school, but it would be the first suspension that she felt bad about. She would miss a month of volleyball practice. But after some thought, she wouldn't be able to return to the volleyball club even after her suspension was over anyway.

What practice? What InterHigh? What Nationals?

"The volleyball club…" Karin's question trailed off as her throat suddenly felt very dry.

"We're still active," said Michimiya, already knowing what Karin was going to ask.

"Okay…" Karin nodded and she shifted her gaze back to the crisp white blanket.

"You should have gone to a teacher for help," Michimiya raised her voice slightly at Karin's lack of words.

Karin's lips tighten. Of course she should have; she knew that already. But what if the girls got hurt while Karin looked for a teacher? What if the teacher saw it as a group fight and suspended the whole team? And the delinquents were not concerned with authority figures to begin with.

None of her afterthoughts were spoken out loud. They were all just lame attempts to justify her decision. And she would be even more embarrassed if she really said them.

"Either way, thank you for saving the volleyball club."

Karin's head swerved in Michimiya's direction, unsure if she heard correctly. Michimiya smiled at her with acceptance, something Karin was unfamiliar with until recently. It made her a bit uneasy, but she couldn't look away.

"You took responsibility for everything, so that the club could keep playing, am I right?" Michimiya continued. "Karin-chan, I've heard about your reputation even before you joined the volleyball club. But the Oniwa Karin I know is a hardworking team player. Even if what you did was not great, you did it for us. So don't give up, Karin-chan, because your team hasn't given up on you yet!"

Something welled up inside Karin as she listened to Michimiya's words. It filled her lungs and if she didn't hold her breath and bite her lips, it would have burst out in the form of tears. At that very moment, she was saved by a knock at the door. Azumane Asahi poked his head in with a careful look on his face.

"Sorry, am I interrupting something?" the tall boy asked nervously, noticing the tension inside the hospital room.

"No, I was just leaving," Michimiya made her way to the door after winking at Karin. "She's all yours."

Azumane blushed slightly before scooting to the side of the door so that the girls volleyball captain could leave, then he turned his attention back to Karin. He faltered slightly when he saw that she was on the brink of crying. His heart started racing; he couldn't remember the last time he saw Karin cry.

"I-is everything okay?" Azumane stammered in his panic.

"... I don't know," Karin breathed out heavily.

"Michimiya, she…"

"Came to tell me that I'm suspended from school for a month and I'm out of the volleyball club," Karin recited promptly.

Azumane studied Karin's face; the girl had recomposed herself in a matter of seconds. She was good at stamping her emotions back into the pit of her heart.

"I… I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"Well, I, um, didn't answer your call yesterday, even though I told you to call me when you're in trouble," Azumane's eyes skimmed the floor of the hospital room. "I… I was with the volleyball club… they needed an extra player to play against some neighborhood team…"

"Missed calls happen. Don't worry about it," Karin brushed off Azumane's apology. "How was the game?"

"Eh? The game…" Azumane's voice trailed off as he recalled the impromptu game he played in the previous day. It has been a long time since he stood on a volleyball court again, but the playing came back to him naturally, albeit his movements were a little stiff. More importantly, it was nerve wracking to stand in front of Nishinoya again, and having Sugawara set the ball for him. But the truth was that they never gave up on him. Sugawara and Nishinoya were desperate to enable him to ask for the ball again, just as desperate as he was to feel his palm spike against that volleyball again. All of his love for the sport and his trust for the team crashed into him like a huge wave at that moment.

"I think… I might…"

Karin took in Azumane's emotional state as his mind wandered off to the memories of playing volleyball. He didn't say much, but she was beginning to get emotional just watching him. Even though he was clearly shaken from the game he played in, she could tell that there was hope in his eyes.

"Asahi," she called out softly.

"Ah! I'm sorry!" Azumane jumped as he came back to reality. "What is it?"

"Want to go on a date over the weekend?"

"...Huh?!"

"Come on, don't you feel sorry for me since I'll be suspended for a month and kicked out of the volleyball club?" a smile curled up on Karin's lips as she watched Azumane's face turn beet red. "At least indulge me for the weekend."

* * *

Azumane couldn't be any more self-conscious by the time Saturday rolled around. The volleyball team had found out about his date with Oniwa Karin since he had to turn down their invitation to hang out. While a date was something he should have been able to boast about, he was only shot down by guilt's arrows when Nishinoya said "So you finally grew some backbone and asked Demon-senpai out, huh?"

It was the second time that Karin initiated a date with him. Although he didn't know he had feelings for her during the first date, he was pretty sure he had them now. That was why it was all the more embarrassing for him to admit to his teammates that Karin was the one who asked him.

Azumane fidgeted next to the bus stop. They had planned to go to Aoba Castle in Sendai, have grilled beef tongue for lunch, and then have a stroll through the Dainohara Nature Park. An itinerary Azumane insisted on putting together, since he had to take the lead at some point. He had researched for some popular dating spots in the city and got the approval from Shimizu Kiyoko.

After a few minutes of waiting, he heard Karin call his name while running towards him in a white sundress with flowy sleeves, brown lace up boots, and a straw hat. Azumane was hopelessly stuck between not wanting to stare but also wanting to take a mental picture of Karin all dressed up for a date with him.

"Have you been waiting long?" Karin asked as she fixed the straw hat that got a little crooked from the running.

"It's all right, I got here too early because I read the timetable wrong," said Azumane, strangely feeling pretty calm now that Karin arrived.

The bus pulled up just a minute after Karin's arrival, and the two set out on their much anticipated date. From what Azumane could gather, the date went quite well. Karin was her typical composed self, staying quiet most of the time. Azumane never found Karin's quietness to be uncomfortable. He knew that she was taking in the experience when she gazed at the beauty of the Aoba Castle and chewed slowly to savor Sendai's delicacy of beef tongue. To his pleasant surprise, Karin was in a nice mood despite all that's happened to her in the past few days.

The two of them were strolling along the forest path of the Dainohara Nature Park in the afternoon. They came to a forked path and Karin opted to take the route which led to the flower field. When they arrived at the botanical area, the flower field was brimming with fully-bloomed marigold flowers. Karin seemed to be elated at the sight; despite her renowned toughness, the girl loved flowers.

"Wow, this is amazing!"

Even a boy like Azumane was awed by the sight. Karin noticed that the park had paved pathways among the flowers so that the guests could walk besides the flowers. She led Azumane into the field with excitement.

"Do you know what the marigold symbolizes, Asahi?" Karin asked while admiring the flowers.

Azumane shook his head and said no.

"It symbolizes 'the beauty and warmth of the rising sun,'" said Karin.

"Do you know a lot about flowers?"

"Nope, it says on this placard right here!" Karin giggled lightly as she pointed at the little sign placed by the park administrators.

"I-I see," Azumane blushed at Karin's giggle in her teasing manner.

"But isn't it appropriate?" Karin mused. "It makes me think… if Asahi means the rising sun then perhaps I'm the flower that always looks up to it."

Azumane's cheeks burned; he was unsure if Karin's words were a confession or not. It certainly had indications of a confession, and it made him panic. He couldn't let her be the one to confess first! What will the guys on the volleyball team say if he didn't even have the backbone to confess his feelings first!

"Karin! I…"

"You're back on the volleyball team, right?" Karin asked out of the blue.

"Eh?" Azumane got caught off guard but had to switch gears to answer Karin's question. "Um, yes, I ended up asking Daichi if I could go back…"

"That's good," Karin smiled. "I didn't want to pressure you, but I really hoped that you'd go back. After all, you seemed the happiest when playing volleyball."

"Yeah…" Azumane thought about the game that he played with the volleyball club and the neighborhood team, and the feeling of hitting a clean spike again. "I'm really glad that I got a second chance… Ah-"

Azumane covered his mouth as Karin turned her back towards him. How could he be so insensitive, talking about his second chance when Karin was banned from club activities?

"I'm sorry, Karin!" Azumane said frantically. "A-are you mad?"

Karin turned her head to blink at him. "Mad? No. How could I be mad?"

Azumane scratched the back of his head, still feeling guilty for his own happiness. Watching the boy's unease, Karin let out a little sigh.

"Okay, the truth is, I've been angry about a lot of things," said Karin as her eyes returned to gaze at the flowers. "Who knew I'd turn out to be just like my dad, being mad at everything? I was mad at those delinquents for ruining everything for me. Mad at myself for falling right into their trap every time. Mad at my dad for always being disappointed with me. I was even somehow mad at Yui for having so much hope for me, so much that it's maddening that I might lose it someday.

"But I've never been mad at you, Asahi. When I see you, all I feel is warmth. Even when we fell out of touch during middle school, I was happy whenever I heard about your accomplishments in volleyball. And every time I think about you, I see your light and it makes me want to do better, even though I'm pathetic I keep messing up."

As he watched Karin spill out everything she had been bottling inside, Azumane's chest tightened painfully. She was not pathetic and she should know that, but that was not what she wanted to hear. He knew about that.

"I understand how you feel, Karin," Azumane said with a shaky voice. "I know how it feels to carry the weight of other people's expectations on your shoulders, and to face adversity that seems impossible to overcome. But you're not alone! I'm here for you, just like when you were there for me when I was in a slump."

When Karin turned her head to face him again, tears were already streaming down her cheeks. Many things could startle Azumane, and a girl's tears was definitely at the top of that list.

"I-I mean! I'd like to… be there for you… if you're okay with that…?"

A smile crept onto her trembling lips; she had to take a deep breath before being able to speak.

"As long as you're okay… that this little mold is completely in love with you."

Azumane could not feel his cheeks burn and his heart race any longer. All he could see at that moment was a beautiful girl standing in a marigold field, crying and smiling at the same time. Oniwa Karin was not mold. The wind made her dress sway and the golden glow of the afternoon sun on her skin made her look just like one of these fragile flowers. If even one single petal were to be blown off, it would probably break his heart. Oniwa Karin was the most precious flower that he could hold.

Before he knew it, he had stepped towards the girl and pulled her into an embrace. The girl buried her face into his chest. She could probably hear how fast his heart was beating, but that was okay. That was probably better than having her look at his embarrassingly red face.

"I love you, Karin!" he exclaimed so she could hear loud and clear. "I love you!"

* * *

To be continued.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be the finale! Wooh! Okay, so, it's time for me to blab again about this fic. The last confession scene in this chapter was the first scene that came to my mind for this fic, and it came up while listening to the song "Marigold" by Aimyon. Hence, the title of the fic! It has been really fun writing this fic and while I know that Asahi is not the most major character out of the HQ cast but he is the first character that got me really interested in the show. Of course now I love all the boys, haha! Thanks to everyone who's read this far and see you all at the grand finale!


	11. The Aftermath

" _Do your best, Asahi!"_

" _Do your best, Asahi!"_

" _Do your best, Asahi!"_

" _Do your best, Asa-"_

Azumane Asahi quite literally jumped out of his bed, and his abrupt movement launched his cell phone from its place next to his pillow to his bedroom floor. He'd left the phone next to his pillow last night after falling asleep while texting with Karin until very late. Karin had recorded a personal alarm for him on his phone, and having it go off right next to his ear was kind of a shock in the early morning. The two were somewhat of an item now, after their mutual confession in the marigold field. It has been a month since then, and he could honestly say that everyday felt surreal.

For one, Oniwa Karin was Azumane's first official girlfriend, and vice versa. Their relationship started out differently than what he had imagined, because Karin was suspended from school for the month, so he didn't see her very much. Luckily, their usual evening walks home together resumed since she got her part time job back from Sakanoshita Store for the month and he had returned to the volleyball club.

That was the second surreal part. Sugawara and Sawamura were not kidding when they told him that some freakishly good freshmen had joined the club. One was a genius setter and another was even taller than him. Then there was the short one who wanted to be an Ace like him, who had beastly athletic abilities. During the past month, the team even went to a training camp and had a practice match with their old rival, Nekoma.

At times, Azumane would still feel slightly guilty about all the great things that have been happening to him since returning to the volleyball club because of Karin's situation. But the girl was always supportive and got just as excited about his team's progress as he was.

But today, he was a little more excited than usual.

It was six o'clock in the morning, but he was already dressed in his tracksuit and ready to go to school. As he bid goodbye to his mom and stepped out of the house, he saw the girl he was excited to see standing outside the gate. The girl was dressed in Karasuno High School's girls uniform, an outfit she hasn't worn in a while. She smiled softly at him, and even though they have been dating for a month now, he still found himself blushing often in her presence.

"Good morning, Asahi," she said with a little wave.

"Good morning, Karin!" he said as he opened the gate. "Are you sure you're okay with going to school this early?"

"Sure, I have to go see the principal before homeroom starts, anyway," Karin replied, although she would be okay with walking with Azumane in the early morning regardless.

Azumane was glad that Karin was allowed back in school. He knew that even though Karin seemed like she didn't care, she cared more than most people. He hoped that the principal had good news for her, because she deserved better. And if the school decided not to give her a second chance, he was going to support her through anything.

"Do your best, Asahi!"

Karin said when they arrived at school. She turned towards the direction of the school building while Azumane turned to the gym. Azumane's heart fluttered a little when Karin said the words he'd heard this morning so close to his ear.

* * *

Most students felt a little nervous to be sitting in the principal's office, but Karin was a regular there by the third year of her high school career. In her opinion, the principal's office was much more preferable than the vice principal's. Something about the vice principal just rubbed every student the wrong way, maybe it was the way his hair bounced while he huffed and puffed as he got mad about every little thing.

"It's been a while, Oniwa-kun," the principal said jokingly as Karin sat down in the chair across from his desk.

"Did you miss me?" Karin joked back despite how inappropriate it sounded.

The principle chuckled lightly and shook his head. "I like all the students here equally, even you, Oniwa-kun."

"Am I supposed to be glad about that?"

"Sure!" the principle smiled. "You might be a troublemaker, but don't, for one second, think that you're the first I've come across in my fifteen years working in education. You're gonna turn out fine."

Karin blinked at the elderly principal's vague words.

"I heard that you're hardworking and on the path to success," the principal continued.

Karin was thoroughly confused now. "Where did you hear that?"

"Your teammates at the Girls Volleyball Club," the principal's eyes twinkled as he revealed what had happened while Karin was away from school. "All twelve of them crowded into the vice principal's office. They begged him to let you back on the team, said you were the one who saved the club and that you were indispensable."

Karin's eyes widened ever so slightly at the news. She could almost picture Michimiya's face smiling at her, saying 'I've got this!'

"It seems that the vice principal isn't so good at saying no to a group of high school girls' plead," the principal continued. "You're back in the club, Oniwa-kun."

"...What a sleazy old guy," was all Karin could muster up in an attempt to hide her joy. The principal saw through her with ease.

"I'll pretend that I didn't hear that," he said with a wink. "Now run along. I won't keep you from morning practice any longer."

Karin felt as if her feet were light as feathers as she ran down the hallways of the school building towards the second gym. Not even the vice principal's reprimanding voice telling her not to run in the hallway could stop her. There was no doubt that she felt happy about this, but in a weird way, she also felt guilty. As she wondered if she really deserved this second chance, she let her feet take her to her answer.

When Karin opened the door to the second gym, familiar faces turned to greet her. A little out of breath and flushed from the running, Karin swung her head down and bent at her waist in a 90 degree angle.

"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused!" she blurted out exasperatedly.

She felt a heavy slap on her back force her to straighten up, and she met Michimiya's grinning face.

"Why don't you show us how sorry you are by practicing harder than everyone here?" Michimiya said and the other girls laughed in agreement. "You have a lot of catching up to do!"

Karin tried her best to stop her bottom lip from quivering, but she figured that the best way to hide it was probably to speak.

"Yes, captain!"

Michimiya blushed bashfully at her new title. Morning practice at the Girls Volleyball Club was livelier than ever with Karin's amateur jump serves shooting in any direction and the girls' cheering. For a brief moment Karin wished that she wasn't a senior and had another year with these girls. Before she started getting sentimental, Michimiya made her run laps in the gym for missing the fifth jump serve she was practicing, which she much appreciated because she wouldn't want to follow in Ukai Keishin's footsteps.

* * *

Karin felt like she was beaten by a sumo wrestler and a karate master simultaneously, but the real culprit was volleyball. Having a month off practice really set her back even if she was naturally athletic. Not to mention the fact that she returned to the club so close to the start of InterHigh; Michimiya was practically steamrolling all the girls and of course herself. Apparently a conversation with the boys volleyball captain Sawamura got her all pumped up about the competition.

As Karin nearly stumbled out of the bus stopped at the Sendai Sports Center, she noticed a familiar girl wearing a black tracksuit, carrying a large black banner, and walking into the stadium. With just under 30 minutes to spare, Karin chased after the girl after getting permission from Michimiya.

"Shimizu-san!" Karin called after the girl as she walked through the automatic doors. The boys volleyball club manager turned around at her name.

"Oniwa-san, good morning," Shimizu Kiyoko greeted Karin. "Are you playing as a regular for the Girls Volleyball Team now?"

"Actually I'm just a bench warmer, but I might get switched in as a pinch server," Karin waved her hand in a humble manner.

"That's great," Shimizu smiled softly, causing some boys passing by to do a double take. "A jump serve with your power will surely be a useful weapon."

Happy and embarrassed by the compliment, Karin scratched the back of her head and chuckled. Shimizu noticed this behavior and realized instantly that it was awfully familiar. The club manager's smile curled up further now that Karin was shifting her feet awkwardly.

"The boys are already in the stadium," Shimizu answered Karin's unspoken question. "Their match starts in about 15 minutes. Unfortunately, only coaches and managers can be inside the stadium."

Karin's heart sunk a little bit at the news but she didn't let it show. "I'll just text him…"

"Here, wear this jacket," Shimizu began to take off her club jacket to hand to Karin. The latter girl blinked at Shimizu with confusion.

"I really want us to make it to Nationals this year," said Shimizu. "So we need our Ace to be in top shape no matter what it takes."

Karin nearly blushed at Shimizu's hinting words; her relationship with Azumane wasn't something she publicly announced in school. Both of them were more on the reserved side when it came to dating, though there really was no reason to be. Little did she know, Shimizu Kiyoko had acted as a quality checker on Azumane's date planning committee a few times already.

"Ten minutes, okay?"

At Shimizu's urging, Karin accepted her jacket and threw it on quickly before stepping inside the stadium.

That moment was one of the few moments that made Karin forget to breathe. Of course it wasn't as remarkable of an event as, say, her sister's wedding in a year or the future Tokyo premiere of her debut action film where she played the leading role. But this moment was a moment she would think of every once in a while for years to come; the moment when the stadium lights shone down brightly above the many volleyball courts, when the dream-chasing teenagers were showered with attention from their schoolmates and volleyball fans throughout the prefecture.

Karin's heart pounded heavily and rapidly; in a few minutes she'll be on the other side of the stadium, playing for the girls team. She never thought she could feel so moved by sports, but it was all thanks to one guy. Azumane Asahi, Karasuno's ace, the boy she had been watching since she was just a child. She couldn't be more thrilled to be standing in the same place with him now.

"What the hell are you doing here?"

The boys all turned their attention towards her when Ukai's cranky growl notified them of her presence. A look of surprise and joy flashed on Azumane's face when he saw Karin.

"Shimizu-san got me in," Karin threw a quick answer to Ukai before approaching Azumane. The sounds inside the stadium somehow started to mute when she got close to Azumane. All she could hear was her heartbeat and the faint sound of Nishinoya's voice shouting "Hey, Demon-senpai!" and a kiddish voice following with "De-demon?!"

"You're here, Karin!" Azumane said with an excited grin. "Your match is starting soon, right?"

Karin smiled back at Azumane; it was more refreshing than a big gulp of Pocari Sweat.

"Yeah, I just have a few seconds to get my good luck."

"Good luck?"

Azumane didn't have enough time to let his mind wander to an Omamori before Karin reached out her hands and grabbed his uniform collars. His mind was wiped blank when he nearly fell forward with Karin's pull and when their lips crashed into each other's. Azumane imagined his first kiss to be soft and sweet like Tanaka often mused about in the clubroom, but in reality it was mostly his teeth jamming into his lips. It wasn't until Karin stiffly adjusted her lips that he felt a split second of softness, then she pulled away just a moment too soon.

The first thing Azumane noticed was Karin's trembling lips and flushed cheeks. She was as nervous as he was. And that made him feel light as air.

"I-I-I-Is that also the power of the Ace?!"

"Hinata, you moron!"

"Ow! That hurt, Kageyama! You're blushing, too!"

"Asahi-san, you spineless bastard! How can you let Demon-senpai make the first move?!"

Both Azumane and Karin stifled a laugh. They were both in good hands now. They had their teammates and each other to rely on. Win or lose, they were going to be okay.

As Karin turned to leave, Azumane called out her name.

"Do your best, Karin!"

"Do your best, Asahi!"

* * *

The end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaahhhh! It's finished! I hope you all enjoyed reading this fic!
> 
> To be honest, I had thought about writing an epilogue chapter on post high school Asahi and Karin, but I just didn't have enough to write about. What I had imagined was Asahi and Karin moving to Tokyo together, where Asahi will start working as an apparel designer. Karin will work at a volleyball equipment store until she gets scouted as an activewear model and then eventually become an action movie star. And while I couldn't make this idea into a full chapter, Asahi and Karin will show up again in my next fic - a spin-off centered on Karin's sister and Ukai!
> 
> The first chapter of the new fic will be posted a week from today, under the title "Say Don't Go." I would be so happy if you'd give it a chance!
> 
> Thank you all for reading this fic!


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